Northwood Academy

Chapter 2

It was finally here…my last day at the orphanage.

The place I had hated, survived, and…strangely…almost grown attached to.

Woodland orphanage had been my home since the day I was found in the forest. I don’t remember much from that day…Sometimes I wondered if I had parents out there, and why they had left me at that forest that day. But here at the orphanage, no answers ever came. Only silence.

However…it didn’t matter anymore…

A whole new world was waiting.

The car slowed as the airport came into view, lit up like a city of its own.

I smiled, swallowing the nerves that were starting to bubble up.

I hated goodbyes..

Jacob leaned over, “You’ll be fine, Aria,” Jacob said, his smile was way too big for this moment.

“Just… don’t trip on the plane stairs, okay? That’d be embarrassing for, like, the whole orphanage.”

I swatted at him. “Thanks for the confidence boost.”

He laughed, but then his smile softened. He reached for his pocket and pulled something out….a small charm bracelet with my name on it.

“Here,” he said, pressing it into my palm. “For luck. And so you don’t forget me when you get all fancy at your new rich-kid school.”

My throat tightened. “Jake….”

I pulled him in a tight hug him, holding on longer than I should have.

Jacob was the closest thing I had to family, and letting go… hurt

“…it’s ok dummy” he stroked my hair..

“Go on,” Martha my caretaker said gently, patting my shoulder. “They’ll see you on from there.”

I nodded, forcing a smile. One last squeeze from both of them, and I stepped toward the counters. My suitcase felt heavier than it was, and my chest was both tight and light at the same time.

By 9 tonight, I’d be in Aurevia…. Just yesterday I found out that I’ll be staying with a host family…That word still made my stomach twist. Family. They were called the Blackwells….i knew nothing about them, and yet… they were about to become my whole world.

I don’t know if I should be excited or terrified. Maybe both.

………

Inside the airport, a tall man in a sharp black suit appeared like he’d walked straight out of a movie.

"Miss Aria?" He asked.

"Huh? Oh..umm... sorry…Yes, that's me," i stammered nervously…I wasn’t used to people calling me miss..

“Leonard…” he said with a bow of his head. “I’ll be accompanying you to Aurevia.”

Ohh yes….I had been informed beforehand about him….

Some staffs around him swept up my luggages before I could blink.

"umm sir , don't i need my bags to board the plane?"

"Not at all miss"

He smiled politely at me.

"Oh Okay, sir," i smiled back.

He led me to a fancy lounge in the airport… I gasped….everyone here looked so rich and fancy…i had never seen anything like it..

I sat on the edge of my seat, hands folded tight, praying nobody noticed how out of place I looked.

And then…boarding call.

“First class passengers, pre-boarding.”

I almost choked. First class? That couldn’t be right. People like me didn’t belong in first class.

I looked at Leonard and he gestured for me to go with a smile…

Omg omggg!!!

Excitement bubbled inside my chest….not only was this my first time on a plane but I was riding first class???

As i stepped inside the cabin…my jaw dropped..

this was reall?? It looked like a floating hotel. Or a very rich person’s living room.

I clutched my boarding pass tighter afraid someone would tap my shoulder and say I didn’t belong. Or I would suddenly wake up and be back at the orphanage....

Then I took about a hundred pictures for Jacob…he wouldn’t believe his eyes..

The flight was amazing…

hours later we landed at the Aurevia international airport…

Aurevia..my new life…It almost didn’t feel real…

I pulled out my phone to check the time.

2:00 p.m.

I scanned the crowd nervously until my eyes landed on a familiar face…it was Leonard holding a sign with my name on it…

“Miss Aria,” he said politely, dipping his head. “Welcome to Aurevia””

“Th-Thank you,” I managed with a sheepish smile.

On the plane I had done a little research,

and… turns out, the Blackwells weren’t just wealthy. They were one of the most elite families in all of Europe.

I couldn’t help but wonder why such a powerful family would even want to host me…

It made me really nervous…because What if they hated me? What if they regretted choosing me?

Leonard grabbed my suitcase like it weighed nothing and led the way outside. And almost like he was reading my mind..he said..

“Everyone is looking forward to seeing you.”

Just as I was about to answer, I heard it. His thought.

‘Well… except young master Aiden.’

My smile faltered.

Huh??? Who’s Aiden? And why do they already hate me?

…I hadn’t even met him yet, but already he didn’t want me there.

Of course. Because honestly why would he?

I swallowed hard, pushing the thought away as Leonard opened the door to the fanciest black car I had ever seen. I climbed in, nerves tangled tight in my stomach.

…..

I froze in place, staring in awe.

The mansion was huge. Like, probably as big as my entire small town back home. Its stone walls looked older than time, but the windows gleamed as if polished daily. Ivy crawled across the high towers, and the air… the air smelled different here. Sharper. Wilder.

My fingers tightened around my bag as Leonard motioned me forward. A group of staff already stood outside, lined up like they’d been waiting just for me.

“Welcome, Miss Aria!” they greeted in unison.

Their voices rang out a little too perfectly together. I felt it all the way down my spine..li

My legs turned to jelly as I walked past them, approaching the grand doors.

“Uhmm… thank you,” I mumbled, feeling awkward. I still wasn’t used to people calling me Miss.

Right before we reached the doors, my steps faltered.

I could practically hear my heartbeat in my ears as I stared at those doors, tall and carved with strange, intricate patterns….

What if this was all some huge mistake? What if they took one look at me and realized I didn’t belong?

A chill swept over me.

What was I about to walk into?

And then, the second the doors opened…

“Aria!”

Before I could even take in the grand entryway, an extremely beautiful little girl with curly blonde hair dashed straight at me.

“You’re finally here!!” she squealed, throwing her arms around me.

I froze.

Huhhh??

Her head barely reached my waist, but her hug was strong…too strong for someone so small. My breath caught as her emerald eyes, wide and sparkling, stared up at me like I’d just dropped out of the sky.

“Wow, you’re so pretty!” she squealed again, her voice high-pitched and childlike.

“Oh, um… thank you,” I stammered, cheeks burning. Compliments weren’t exactly something I got often.

“Mom! She’s here!!!” she screamed so loudly her voice bounced off the high ceilings.

I flinched. The sound wasn’t just loud…it carried, like it had been made to travel.

Before I could even process what was happening, another voice called across the hall.

“Sophie! Let go. You’re going to scare her away.”

The little girl…Sophie…quickly released me, her cheeks pink with guilt.

“Oh, sorry. I… I didn’t mean to,” she mumbled, staring at the ground.

Something about the way her shoulders curled tugged at my chest.

I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, the sharp click of heels echoed down the staircase.

I turned instinctively… and gasped.

Was everyone in this family model-level beautiful?

Walking down the stairs was a woman who looked like a goddess. She had the same golden hair and emerald eyes as Sophie, only softer, more refined.

She looked young…too young to be her mom…but the resemblance was undeniable.

“You must be our special Aria,” she said with a warm smile before pulling me into her arms.

Her embrace was soft, her perfume sweet and comforting. For a second, I almost melted.

God, I wanted to stay there forever.