CHAPTER 1 —First Official Day In Nocturna College
GISELLE'S POV
I looked up slowly, my eyes lifting from the ground to the towering gate right before me.
Clearly written across it were the words Nocturnal College. The very school I had dreaded coming to from the very beginning. Seeing the name, right in front of me like this, made something tighten slightly in my chest.
So this was it.
There was no turning back now.
I stepped closer and reached out, with my hands and my fingers brushing lightly against the gate.
It shivered.
Not slightly, nor subtly but It shook under my touch like something alive.
My hand jerked back immediately leaving a sharp breath catching in my throat making me gasp as the metal let out a long, drawn creak.
I believe the sound echoed deeper than it should have so it would have a way of crawling into my chest and settling somewhere uncomfortable.
It didn’t feel normal.
It felt aware.
As though it knew something.
As though it recognized what had been hiding beneath my skin all along.
I stood there for a moment, staring at it with my thought shifting with unease. Then I forced myself to move forward.
I pushed the gate open and stepped inside.
As I walked in, Nocturna was slowly revealing itself , piece by piece, like a scene unfolding from a dream I wasn’t sure I wanted to be part of.
Dark.
Strange.
Yet… it's undeniably beautiful.
The buildings stretched high into the sky, so tall they almost seemed to touch the clouds of the evening sky.
The windows glowed with soft beautiful colors including red, blue, gold, yellow and indigo gently spilling faint reflections onto the ground below.
Everything around me looked carefully crafted and structured with an unsettling kind of perfection.
Even the floor beneath my feet was tiled flawlessly, yet there was not a simple pattern to one could follow and without repetition to make sense of.
It was beautiful.
And wrong.
The air felt more colder than it should have, brushing lightly against my skin despite I was wearing a hoodie.
My snake stirred inside my head warmer, restless.
I felt the movement immediately.
Carefully, I pulled my black silk scarf over it, adjusting it just enough to keep it hidden. My fingers lingered for a second, making sure there was no visible shift beneath the fabric.
Common guys, stay still.
As I moved further in, the courtyard came into a clear view.
I slipped on my face mask and pulled my hood over my head, instinctively lowering myself into the smallest version of me that is worth managing.
The closer I got, the more the distant chatter grew louder but something about it didn’t sit right.
The voices were undoubtedly there, there were the laughter, conversations and the movement.
Yet beneath all of it… there was silence.
A strange, waiting silence that made the air feel heavy like I could hold it in my hands.
Then I stepped into the courtyard and the feeling of not belonging washed through my face.
And everything became clear.
They were all paired.
Werewolves stood with werewolves. Witches with witches. Faes gathered in glowing clusters, Snake clans, Vampires, Gorgons, Sharks, Antenna babies… and so many more.
Even those who weren’t with their own kind stood comfortably in mixed groups.
They belonged.
Every single one of them.
Laughter spilled freely between them. Gossip moved from one person to another. Some flirted openly, others whispered behind hands.
And I...
I could hear all of it.
Every word.
Every shift in tone.
Every quiet remark that wasn’t meant to be heard.
The noise pressed into my head all at once, overwhelming and sharp.
I clenched my jaw slightly, cursing myself inwardly.
This hearing ability… it was more of a curse than anything else.
As I moved toward the fountain at the center of the courtyard, something shifted.
Subtly at first.
Then all at once.
Voices dropped.
Heads turned.
And suddenly,all eyes were fixed on me.
Someone leaned closer to whisper. Another stepped back too quickly, bumping into the person behind them. A few simply stared, their expressions unreadable, their gaze cold.
The whispers followed me as I walked.
Soft , sharp and judging.
I lowered my head immediately, tightening my grip on my bag. My fingers curled around the strap, holding on a little too tightly.
As I passed, people moved.
Not towards me but away from me.
Each step I took seemed to push them further back, as though I carried something they didn’t want to touch.
The new gorgon girl.
That was all they saw.
That was all they needed to see.
No one should know what I hide.
My heart dropped heavily in my chest, sinking lower and lower, not because I feared them…
…but because I feared myself.
What would happen if I lost control.
Not here.
Not in front of all these people.
Not when I barely understood what I was capable of.
This was my first official day in Nocturna, after coming earlier for clearance.
And already…
It felt wrong.
Still, I told myself, at least no one had bullied me yet.
“Hey, gorgon girl.”
The voice cut cleanly through my thoughts, dragging me back into my dark reality.
I didn’t stop.
I didn’t even hesitate.
I wasn’t planning to.
Footsteps followed behind me so quick and deliberate.
Before I could move past, he stepped in front of me, blocking my path completely.
I stopped.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
