THE SHADOWED MATE

CHAPTER 5

The moment the principal stepped aside, every eye in the classroom shifted to the doorway.

“AAH IT’S THE CUTIES”

“In our class!”

Two young men walked side by side, dressed in the same navy Elysian blazer as everyone else, yet somehow making the uniform look completely different. They were identical enough that anyone would mistake them for one another at first glance, but after a few seconds, the differences became clear. One carried himself with quiet confidence, his expression unreadable, his eyes calm but sharp enough to notice everything around him. The other looked more approachable. There was a faint smile on his face. So all the ladies found him more natural and easy to approach.

A low murmur continued through the room.

"So they're the Nightshades..."

"I heard they transferred from overseas."

"My cousin said their family owns half the companies in Europe."

"No, they're royalty."

" b***h, they're billionaires."

"You don't even know if that's true."

"It has to be."

The whispers continued until the principal cleared his throat.

"Class," he said, as he smiled, forced though, "I'd like you to welcome Kaiden Nightshade and Damon Nightshade. Beginning today, they will be part of Elysian Elite Academy and most especially part of this class, so ladies, behave; we don’t want any more pregnancies !" Many greetings echoed through the room, though most of the girls barely managed to speak. Their attention had already drifted elsewhere. Some quietly fixed their hair. Others straightened their blazers, hoping to look presentable if either of the twins happened to glance in their direction. Selene Drake sat a little straighter as she sat in the front row of the class.

“Move over bitches, let the twins sit right next to me!”

“Damn, she always does this every time there are new students in our class, so do yourselves a favor and don’t fall into her silly trap.”

“Shut up, that’s a lie,”

but she knew this game. For years, she had been the girl every transfer student noticed first. Whether it was because of her confidence, her beauty, or simply the reputation she had built inside Elysian, attention always found its way to her. She expected today to be no different. Selene would stroke her blond hair as she tacked in her lips, pressing on to her juicy boobs, most likely for attention. Aurora, meanwhile, had already lowered her head again. She wasn't interested in transfer students, ever. Everybody was observant enough to point fingers and call her a ‘scared little cat’, but that was never it. She just knew where she stood. Didn’t want to be anybody’s girlfriend or maybe… side plate. Also, she wasn't interested in rich boys, especially those; they had a bad habit of ‘ hit-and-run’. She hated how they hurt the feelings of so many girls in her class. However, none of them learned her lesson. All that mattered was whether the scholarship committee would notice the assignment she had handed in late the previous week. Losing that scholarship meant losing Elysian, and losing Elysian meant losing the only future she still had left. The principal continued speaking, explaining the academy's rules, but Aurora hardly listened. She quietly closed her notebook and slid it into her bag, hoping the lesson would continue soon. Beside her, Rufus wasn't listening either. His eyes remained fixed on the twins; no, he wasn’t attracted to them. His lover boy was in the other class, but he knew exactly who they were. Or rather... He knew what they were. He had hoped they wouldn't come this soon. Not while Aurora still knew nothing about the truth surrounding her family. Across the classroom, Dr. White folded his long arms, though the students saw a calm history teacher, Rufus saw something else. He noticed the slight tension in Dr. White's jaw, the way his fingers tightened around the attendance register; he seemed tense. The brief exchange of glances between him and Kaiden, It lasted less than a second. All this was enough to confirm that the past neither of them wanted to revisit had finally caught up with them. "...and finally," the Principal said, bringing everyone's attention back to the front, "I'd like one of our students to show Kaiden and Damon around the academy." Hands shot into the air before he had even finished speaking, including the gay boys; they were really eager to taste something fresh that was never there before.

"I'll do it!"

"Pick me, sir!"

"I know the school better than anyone." Laughter filled the classroom. Even popular volunteered, hoping to spend time with the famous twins. Selene waited; she didn't raise her hand immediately because she never had to. People usually chose her before she even offered. Eventually, she lifted one hand with quiet confidence, catching the principal's eye, who smiled. Everyone knew she was the principal’s pet, while others believed they were having an affair; that’s why she didn’t get herself in trouble or even suspension for that matter. Aurora looked out of the window. She already knew how this would end. She knew that Selene would be chosen and everyone would congratulate her. Life would continue! She barely noticed the silence that suddenly settled over the room. The principal had opened his mouth to announce the name. Before he could speak, Kaiden interrupted politely. "If you don't mind, Principal..." His voice was calm and mostly effortless.

"My brother and I would like to choose our guide." The classroom fell silent again.

“Well, that’s new!”

“That’s not how it goes.” The students were shocked by his aura. The principal blinked in surprise before chuckling.

"Of course." As Kaiden looked around the room, the girls straightened their backs in anticipation. Selene smiled wider because she THOUGHT she knew it would be her. Mia nudged Ivy excitedly while several students whispered bets under their breath. Kaiden's gaze moved across every face without stopping. Then... It settled. Aurora frowned when she realized he was looking directly at her, so she tried the old trick of sinking inside her chair to avoid eye contact. For a second she honestly thought he was staring at the wall behind her. She even glanced over her shoulder. Nothing! When she turned back, he was still looking at her.

“ Bruh, he better not pick me. What do I even have to offer?” she whispered to herself.

"You." Her eyebrows rose together.

"Me?"

Damon smiled slightly.

"Yes." Aurora laughed awkwardly.

"I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

"We haven't." The smile slowly disappeared from Selene's face. Even her breasts were not happy about that decision, and they shrank inside her bra. Every student in the classroom turned towards Aurora. All so confused about the decision made. "Why her?"

"She doesn't even talk."

"I thought he'd choose Selene."

"Does he know who Aurora is?"

"I don't think he does." Aurora wished the ground would swallow her whole, Literary. Only, that would never happen. She stood reluctantly.

"I don't think I'm the right person."

"Why not?" Damon asked.

"There are students who know the academy better."

"We're not looking for the best tour guide," Kaiden spoke before Damon could continue.

"We're looking for someone honest, and you have just been so chilled over there." The words hit the room harder than anyone expected. Even Aurora didn't know how to respond; she had spoken barely three sentences to them. How could they possibly know anything about her? She looked toward Rufus; he always had a solution, but this time even his face had gone pale by the fact that all hell had broken loose and there was no turning back now. He had tried all his life to prevent them from meeting, but he failed now. Dr. White noticed the same thing; his heartbeat quickened. The prophecy... It wasn't supposed to happen yet. Not here and definitely not in front of hundreds of students. Not while Aurora still believed she was just an ordinary girl trying to survive another school day. Outside the classroom windows, students continued crowding the corridors, desperate to catch another glimpse of the famous Nightshade heirs. None of them realized that the biggest story of the day wasn't the arrival of two billionaire brothers. It was the quiet girl sitting by the window.

Because, for reasons nobody could explain...

Out of every student in Elysian Elite Academy...

The Nightshade heirs had chosen Aurora Vale.