Pandora's Academy

  Pandora’s Academy

  An Academy of Time story

  Skye MacKinnon

  Copyright © 2019 by Skye MacKinnon

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For Laura.

  Finally, some ancient history for you.

  Contents

  Author’s Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Academy of Time

  About the Author

  Also By

  Praise for Skye MacKinnon

  He wants to be more than just her teacher…

  Laura is about to graduate from the Time Travel Academy, but she really doesn’t want to leave. So when her handsome professor surprisingly invites her on one last trip into the past, she can’t resist.

  She expected a quick tour of the Great Library of Alexandria, but when they stumble onto a mysterious papyrus scroll, Laura needs to draw on her knowledge of ancient history and mythology to solve the puzzle… without getting distracted by her teacher.

  An m/f academy romance novella set in the Time Travel Academy universe.

  Author’s Note

  Please note that while I have tried my best to ensure historical accuracy, there are very few sources describing the Great Library in detail. I have therefore allowed myself some creative freedom to fill in the gaps.

  * * *

  This book has been written by a Scottish author and therefore uses British spelling and expressions.

  Chapter 1

  They were already preparing the Great Hall for our graduation, but I wasn’t ready yet. Not in the slightest. Graduating meant no more lessons, no more late-night chats with my roommate, no more essays and exams. I’d have to get a job, pay bills, behave like an adult. No, I really wasn’t ready for that.

  You’d think that after four years at TTA, I’d want to leave and explore the world. Not me though. I loved this place and all the secrets it held. Some of my friends were desperate to get their first time agent job, and while I wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea, I also didn’t want to say goodbye yet to academy life.

  These four years had been the best years of my life. I'd never much enjoyed school, but the academy had taught me to love learning. To be fair, it was a big difference whether you simply listened to whatever your teacher told you, or whether you got the chance to see it for yourself. As part of my education, I'd travelled all over in time, first together with my teachers, then on my own on my first small assignments. I was good at it and wasn't afraid to be proud of it. Time travel was my talent. While others had to adjust to the strains it put on your body, I'd never so much as felt nauseated. Once, I'd dislocated my shoulder on my way back because I'd landed on a staircase - and then fell down said staircase - but that was the only injury I'd ever incurred.

  As part of our training, we'd been able to explore a range of time periods. Once I'd become a time agent, I'd have to go wherever my boss sent me. No more trips to exciting places simply because they interested me. No, it would be all about set missions. Still exciting, but I knew I'd miss the freedom I had here at TTA.

  I sighed as I took in the robes and mortarboards people were wearing already. I was still in my normal jeans and t-shirt, my standard clothes when I didn't have to wear the academy uniform. I'd put on my graduation gown at the very last minute. Anything to not make it feel real.

  "Excited?"

  I turned, surprised to see Seamus Cowal, one of my teachers. I thought all the teaching staff were preparing the graduation ceremony, deciding in what order we'd get our certificates, that sort of thing. But here he was, gorgeous as ever, his green eyes sparkling as he looked at me. He taught Ancient History, which sounded boring but was anything but. Our class had been tiny, only three people, since very few time agents ever acquired the ability to travel back that far in time. Most were restricted to anything after the middle ages, but I was lucky to be amongst those who could go back all the way to the dawn of civilisation. Not that I'd ever be able to go back as far as the stone age, although that was my dream. Two thousand years was the maximum even for me. I'd been told that my range might still increase over the next couple of years while I got more opportunities for time travel, but there were limits to our technology. Travel too far and you may not come back.

  I realised Seamus was waiting for a response.

  "Uhm... yes. Lots."

  He laughed. "Don't lie to me. You're no longer my student, you can speak your mind."

  A knot formed in my stomach. I didn't want it to be over. He was my favourite teacher, not just because he was hot. He was clever, funny, determined and creative. My role model, basically. I wanted to be like him, even though it was unlikely I'd ever quite get there. I wasn't particularly intelligent. I had to study hard to get through my theoretical exams, but my practical ones always made up for that.

  "I don't want to graduate quite yet," I admitted. "I know all the others can't wait to be out of here, but I love the academy. I don't want it to end."

  He gave me a warm smile. "You could always return as a teacher. That way, you'd never have to leave."

  "It's not the same," I muttered. "Being a student gives you a lot more freedom."

  Seamus chuckled. "Very true, but you forget, us teachers have access to all the fun gadgets whenever we want."

  He turned to join me in watching the other students in the hall. Jamie, one of my friends, was practising throwing his mortarboard. I couldn't help but grin when it hit Professor Long, one of the most boring teachers.

  "How about one last trip?" Seamus asked suddenly and I looked at him in surprise.

  "Where to?"

  He shrugged. "Somewhere you've always wanted to travel to. This may be your last chance."

  Excitement started to rush through my veins, and I was close to throwing my arms around my teacher. He really was the best.

  "I've got some cuffs in my office. You can think about where you want to go on the way."

  He led me the familiar way upstairs to the third floor where the teachers had their offices as well as living quarters. Not all of them lived at the TTA, but a lot did for convenience, especially during the week. Some had families they returned to at weekends, but I didn't know if that applied to Seamus. He was very familiar with us students, asking us to call him by his first name from the very first lesson, but he'd never talked to us about his personal life.

  Where did I want to go? I had a wish list of times and places I'd always wanted to visit, but even so, it was hard to choose. Maybe I should pick the one furthest in the past. I'd heard that they didn't let time agents travel very far in their first few years on the job.

  Just when we'd reached his office, I blurted, "The Great Library of Alexandria."

  He quirked an eyebrow. "Good choice. Interesting. Curious."

  "What's curious about it?"

  Seamus smiled as he opened the door but didn't look at me. "It was the first place I went to after my own graduation. It seems we're more similar than I thought."

  He strode into the office and headed straight to a large Welsh dresser at the other end, stacked with books, scrolls and items I couldn't identify. He rummaged in one drawer until he found a tiny scroll wrapped in a plastic bag. He gently pulled it out and sniffed it.

  "The smell of history," he sighed with the expression of a cat that just got a bowl of milk. "There's nothing better."

  "Is that papyrus?"

  He nodded. "A scrap of paper from the Great Library. There's nothing on it, it was ne
ver part of a book, but it's got enough of a connection to help us get there without issue. Now here's your cuff. It's synced to mine, so you don't have to enter any coordinates. It's easier that way, considering the distance."

  I'd only ever done one time jump this far into the past. Goosebumps raced across my skin when I took the cuff and wrapped it around my wrist. The metal was cool, but I knew it was going to heat up as soon as we started travelling. I ignored the holographic display since Seamus was going to do the programming. I was a little disappointed at that, because it meant that he was going to hold the papyrus. I adored everything old and would have loved to give it a sniff too. The bookshelf in my room was full of old tomes, but I didn't have anything as exciting as a papyrus scroll from Ancient Egypt. Maybe I could take a tiny piece home with me. It would be my most precious possession.

  Seamus finished typing in the coordinates into his cuff and held out a hand. "Ready, Laura?"

  I smiled and took his hand. "Ready. But shouldn’t we put on appropriate clothes? I doubt I’m going to blend in with jeans. And no offence, but I don’t think they’d invented the kind of fabric you’re wearing.”

  He was clad all in black, with a satin shirt, sleeves rolled up, and trendy slacks. Most teachers were wearing either their uniforms or suits today, but Seamus didn’t seem the type to wear a suit, even for graduation day.

  “I…yes. Of course. I was distracted.”

  A faint blush spread across his cheeks. Strange. He was a teacher, he’d travelled in time hundreds of time, he should really be used to having to change clothes before taking the jump.

  He took two white plastic bags from a cupboard and handed one to me. “Holographic suits. Latest tech, they’ve only given them to teachers and time agents so far. They take on the appearance of whatever’s fashionable in the time period we’re in. We’ll still be wearing the suits, but people around us are fooled into thinking we’re one of them. I’ve only tried them once, but it worked well. They gave us all a male and female outfit each and it should mould to your proportions, not that there’s anything wrong with yours…”

  He cleared his throat. “I’m rambling. Let’s get changed.”

  And he took off his shirt, pulling it over his head rather than unbuttoning it. I couldn’t help but stare. I’d not expected him to be so…fit. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him, on the contrary. Hard, chiselled muscles bulged beneath his smooth skin, inviting me to touch. My gaze followed his abs to where they disappeared in a perfect triangle…

  He cleared his throat again and I quickly turned, hiding my embarrassment at openly checking him out. He was my teacher, for goodness sake. Well, not anymore, but I shouldn’t be ogling him. Even if he looked like a Greek God.

  “Do you want to go to the ladies’ to change?” he asked, his voice hoarse. I was so tempted to turn around. Close the distance between us and lay my hands on his chest. Heat was pooling in places that weren’t supposed to react that way to Seamus.

  “No, it’s fine. Just turn around,” I muttered and opened the plastic bag, revealing a garment the colour of mother of pearl. It seemed to flow, the colours shifting, constantly changing. I’d never seen anything like it. It was light, much lighter than the clothes I was wearing, but luckily it was completely opaque.

  I resisted the urge to turn around and make sure he wasn’t watching me. I just had to trust him. Besides, it had been me checking him out, not the other way round.

  I changed as fast as I could. The jumpsuit clung to my body like a second skin, revealing way too much of my curves. I wasn’t as toned as him. I had boobs that pressed against the fabric and hips that my mum called ‘well suited for motherhood’.

  “When does the illusion take effect?” I asked, hesitant to face him quite yet. I felt naked in this suit, even though it covered me from ankles to neck.

  “As soon as we activate the cuffs. It won’t affect our shoes, but I assume you’ll end up in a full-length tunic anyway, so that should hide yours. We might be able to stop by a market and get some sandals though.”

  “Do we have money?”

  I finally turned and looked at him. And regretted it immediately. Goodness me. The suit revealed almost more than when he’d been bare chested. I forced myself to look at his face rather than let my eyes wander to his lower body.

  “No, but we’ll think of something. We could stop at the Archive and get some currency, but the Archivist might ask questions to why we’re doing this on graduation day. Improvising is much more fun anyway.” He smirked and took my hand. “Let’s try this again. See you in history.”

  Chapter 2

  I stumbled forward, but Seamus steadied me, his hand still holding mine.

  "Wow, that was far," I gasped, trying to steady my breath. I'd underestimated how difficult the time jump would be. My stomach was a little queasy, but not enough to make me throw up. My ears were buzzing, something that had happened before when I travelled back further than a millennium or so. It would pass in the next couple of minutes.

  I waited until I was sure I wouldn't embarrass myself by collapsing, then let go of Seamus's hand and looked around. We were in a small shack, nothing special, a straw roof on top of clay walls. There were amphorae all around; this had to be a storage shed.

  "Where are we?"

  "Just around the corner from the Mouseion. I didn't want to risk appearing in the middle of the Library where people could see us. I've experienced a witch hunt once and don't plan to repeat that experience."

  "They thought you were a witch?"

  He grimaced. "A story for another time. Ready to go out there and look at some books?"

  I grinned at him. "I couldn't be more ready. I've been waiting for this moment for all my life."

  A little exaggeration, but it was true if you considered my life to be my time at TTA. We'd talked about the Great Library in one of our very first lessons and I'd been hooked ever since. A centre of study, a collection of all the knowledge available back then. In that part of the world, anyway. There wasn't anything more precious. Knowledge was power, now as well as back then. I'd not realised that back at school, but being at the Academy had opened my eyes. I'd soaked in all the knowledge I could in the past four years, ready to draw on it during my time missions.

  "We're here a couple of years later than when I first visited. Let's see how it's changed."

  "When are we?" One of my favourite questions ever.

  "143 BC. Aristarchus of Samothrace is the Head Librarian just now. A formidable fellow, one of the greatest ancient scholars."

  "I've heard of him... I think."

  "He did a lot of studies on Homer's poems."

  "Yes, that must be it. I love Homer."

  Seamus smiled at me, his green eyes full of warmth. I could drown in those eyes. "Me too. Two years from now, Aristarchus will get caught up in political struggles and will have to flee to Egypt, but for now, he's respected as one of the best scholars this Library has ever had. We might even meet him, who knows."

  "That would be... special." I licked my lips.

  Seamus stilled, his expression changing. He was still smiling, but there was a yearning there, a flicker of... No, I had to be mistaken. I may be about to graduate, but he was still my teacher. Kind of. Ever since Lainie, a student a couple of years ahead of me, had got involved with her Norse teacher, there had been strict rules against relationships between students and teachers. Of course, there was a lot of swooning over our professors, but I didn't know of anyone who'd broken the rules.

  He broke eye contact and cleared his throat. "Let's go outside. I'm not quite sure what time of day it is, and we don't want to be too late to enter the Library."

  I nodded and followed him out of the shack and into a busy street full of market stalls. Smells filled the air, hundreds of spices, mixed with the shouts of peddlers and the sound of carts driving over the uneven streets. I breathed in deep. History. I, Laura Emerald, was living history. This feeling was the best in the world.
<
br />   Our clothes had changed appearance, making us blend into the crowd. He’d been correct, I was wearing a long linen dress called a chiton. It was draped around my shoulders, held in place by pins, leaving my arms bare. A belt around my waist gave it shape. There were large golden bracelets around my wrists, hiding the time bracer that had brought us here. Clever.

  Seamus wore a shorter chiton that ended just above his knees. His was draped around one shoulder only, leaving his left side bare. Damn, I thought I’d escaped the temptation of drooling at his chest. This wasn’t going to be easy.

  He took my hand again and I let him, very aware of how easy it would be to get lost in the crowd. His skin was warm and soft against mine. It was hard to focus on my surroundings when his touch filled my mind, combined with the memory of the way he'd looked at me. Desire. That had been what I'd seen in his eyes. Pure desire.

  I focused on the smells around me, the spices making it easy to let myself be distracted from Seamus's touch. A waft of something sharp filled my nose and I coughed, then laughed. This was what it was all about. Time travel. Not about doing missions for the Time Agency, but about experiencing life in all its facets.

  It took us forever to get out of the hustle and bustle and reach the Royal Quarter. I'd seen old maps of Alexandria, but it was different to actually walk the city's streets.

  Seamus pointed at a building in the distance.

  "The Mouseion," I breathed. The Institution of the Muses.

  "About a thousand scholars live here," Seamus explained. It wasn't news to me, but I still listened to him with bated breath, speechless at the magnificence of this place. "They receive free room and board and even have their own servants. A priest appointed by the Pharaoh looks after them, making sure they want for nothing. Archimedes studied here, as did Euclid and so many others. You could almost describe it as a university campus, with lecture theatres, study and meeting rooms, dining halls,..."