THE DARK HEIR OF BLACKTHORN

Chapter Two — The New Girl

Her first class was Mathematics. Ariana walked into the classroom and almost every head turned to look at her. She sighed inwardly. Again?

The teacher introduced her to the class. "This is Ariana Rose. She'll be joining us."

A few students smiled at her. A girl near the front waved. "Hi."

Ariana smiled back and waved too. "Hi."

She took a seat beside a cheerful-looking girl who was already grinning at her.

"I'm Tessa," the girl whispered.

"Ariana."

"I know," Tessa said, and Ariana laughed. "It feels like everyone already knows my name."

Tessa smiled. "You're the new girl everyone is talking about."

Ariana sighed. "Is that a good thing?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

Tessa glanced around the room before answering. "Some girls love you already."

Ariana smiled. "And the others?"

"They're jealous."

"Why?"

Tessa looked at her like the answer was obvious. "Have you looked in a mirror?"

Ariana laughed and shook her head. "Stop."

"I'm serious."

Ariana just shook her head again. She didn't like being the center of attention. She just wanted to make friends.

The teacher began the lesson, and for the next hour everything felt completely normal. Ariana actually enjoyed herself more than she expected to.

At lunch, Tessa introduced her to a girl named Lily, and the three of them walked to the cafeteria together. Ariana looked around at the huge, noisy room. Hundreds of students filled the space, and once again, everyone looked completely ordinary. Tessa explained that students with supernatural abilities attended regular classes just like everyone else, and that their special training happened separately, somewhere Ariana hadn't seen yet. Ariana found the whole idea fascinating.

Then she noticed a boy sitting by himself at the end of a long table. His uniform looked worn and a little too big for him, his shoes were scuffed at the toes, and he was eating quietly, without looking up at anyone.

"Who's that?" Ariana asked.

"Ethan Cross," Tessa said.

"Why is he sitting alone?"

"People think he's powerless."

Ariana frowned at that. "So?"

Tessa shrugged, as though it wasn't something she'd ever thought to question. "That's apparently enough of a reason for some people to avoid him."

Ariana didn't like the sound of that at all. She picked up her tray without another word and started walking toward him.

"I'm going to sit with him," she said.

Tessa stared at her in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Yes."

Ariana walked over to Ethan's table. "Can we sit here?"

Ethan looked up, clearly surprised that anyone had asked. "Sure."

Ariana sat down across from him, and Tessa and Lily followed, settling in beside her. Ethan shifted, looking uncomfortable with the sudden company.

"You don't have to sit here," he said.

"I know."

"People might talk."

"They already talk about me."

Ethan smiled slightly at that. "You're not bothered by it?"

"No."

He smiled again, a little more easily this time. Ariana liked him almost right away. There was something quiet and steady about him that she couldn't quite put into words, something that made her feel like he wasn't hiding anything, even if everyone else assumed the opposite.

Then, little by little, the cafeteria grew quieter. Ariana noticed the change and looked toward the entrance to see what everyone else was already looking at. A boy had just walked in — tall, dark-haired, and handsome, with a calm, unreadable expression and nothing outwardly unusual about him at all. And yet everyone in the room seemed to know exactly who he was. Students shifted out of his path without being asked. Some whispered behind their hands. Others looked away entirely, as if meeting his eyes might be a mistake.

Tessa's smile vanished the moment she saw him.

Ariana looked at her. "Who is that?"

Tessa whispered his name like it cost her something to say it. "Kael Veyron."

Ariana remembered Adrian's warning from that morning. "That's him?"

"Yes," Tessa said.

"Why is everyone so scared of him?"

"Because he's Class Six."

"The highest class?"

Tessa nodded slowly. "And because he's dangerous."

Ariana watched him for a moment longer. He didn't look her way at all. He didn't know her, had never met her, had no reason to notice her among the crowd of students filling the cafeteria. As far as Kael Veyron was concerned, she was simply another new student, no different from any of the others who had walked through Blackthorn's gates that morning.

Ariana watched him cross the room and disappear toward the far tables. Then Tessa leaned in close, her voice dropping even lower than before.

"Whatever you do—" She paused, as if choosing her next words carefully. "Stay away from Kael Veyron."

Ariana smiled, trying to sound reassuring. "Don't worry. I will."

She turned back to her lunch, having no idea that keeping that promise would turn out to be far harder than she imagined.

After lunch, Ariana and Tessa walked past a large noticeboard on their way to class. A poster pinned near the center caught Ariana's eye.

BLACKTHORN POWER COMPETITION

REGISTRATION OPENS MONDAY

Ariana stopped walking. "What's that?"

Tessa glanced at the poster. "Power competition."

"Students actually compete?" Ariana asked.

"Yep."

Ariana's eyes lit up with interest. "That sounds fun."

"You haven't even been assessed yet," Tessa reminded her, amused.

"I know."

Ariana looked down at her new black wristwatch. It still showed nothing but her name. She had no idea whether she possessed any kind of power at all, no idea which class she might belong to, and no idea what other secrets Blackthorn was still keeping from her.

For now, though, Ariana was simply happy. It was her first day at Blackthorn Academy, and already she had a new school, new friends, and the beginning of something that felt like a fresh start. And despite Adrian's coldness that morning and the jealous whispers already trailing her through the hallways, Ariana couldn't stop smiling.

She had no idea that the life she thought she had lost forever wasn't finished with her yet.

And somewhere inside Blackthorn, someone already knew exactly who she was.