Chapter 1 – Arrival
940 Words
The airport was louder than Ariella Park expected.
Suitcases clattered against tiled floors, families shouted goodbyes in Korean, and the smell of roasted chestnuts from a nearby stall mixed with the sharp scent of disinfectant. Ariella gripped the strap of her backpack like it was the only anchor keeping her steady.
This was it. Seoul. Her new beginning.
“Miss Park Ariella?”
A man in a sharp black suit stood near the arrival gate, holding a placard with her name written in bold letters. His expression was stiff, professional.
“That’s… me,” Ariella said, her voice quieter than she intended.
He nodded, took her suitcase without asking, and began walking toward the exit. Ariella hurried after him, her sneakers squeaking against the polished floor.
Outside, the city greeted her with a rush of neon lights and honking horns. The air felt heavier than Nigeria’s—cooler, but denser, like it carried secrets she wasn’t ready for.
The car waiting was sleek, black, and intimidating. As they drove through the endless streets of Seoul, Ariella pressed her forehead to the window, staring at tall glass buildings, bright billboards, and crowds of teenagers laughing in their uniforms.
She was sixteen. She should be laughing too. But instead, she was heading to Moonlight Academy, a boarding school her late mother once whispered about like it was a fairy tale.
> “Moonlight will change you, Ari. But promise me… don’t listen to the voices.”
At the time, Ariella thought her mother meant the “voices of peer pressure.” She never understood. Not until the first night after the funeral—when she woke to faint whispers curling around her room, echoing from nowhere.
---
The gates of Moonlight Academy were enormous, carved with silver crescents that glimmered under the rising moon. The car stopped, and the suited driver opened her door.
“Welcome, Miss Park. This will be your home now.”
Ariella stepped out. The building beyond the gates was gothic and breathtaking, its towers stretching like claws into the night sky. Lights glowed warmly from the windows, but the silence of the campus felt… unnatural.
She swallowed. “It looks like a castle.”
“Some call it that,” the man replied. He bowed slightly, then returned to the car, leaving her alone at the gate with her luggage.
---
The moment she stepped inside the courtyard, she heard it.
A soft hiss. A whisper.
She doesn’t belong here.
Ariella froze. “What…?”
The voice wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. She looked around—no one was there. Just rows of cherry blossom trees swaying in the night breeze.
But then another whisper came, low and sharp.
Outsider. Outsider. Outsider.
Her breath hitched. Her hands trembled as she tightened her grip on her bag.
And then—
“Hey!”
A boy’s voice, clear and loud, cut through the whispers. Ariella turned, startled.
A tall boy with messy dark hair jogged toward her, his blazer unbuttoned, his tie loose like he didn’t care about rules. His grin was wide, mischievous, like he’d just pulled a prank on the headmaster.
“You must be the transfer student,” he said, stopping in front of her. “I’m Min-Jae. Resident troublemaker, comic relief, and… unofficial tour guide, I guess.”
His Korean accent was smooth, playful, but his eyes—sharp and curious—lingered on her longer than they should have.
“Ariella,” she muttered.
“Pretty name. Foreign?”
“Nigerian-Korean.”
He let out a low whistle. “Exotic. Bet the whole academy will be talking about you by tomorrow morning.”
Great. Just what she didn’t want.
Before Ariella could respond, another voice came from behind them—calm, cold, and cutting.
“Min-Jae. You’re loud. As always.”
Ariella turned.
Another boy stood under the moonlight, his posture perfect, his uniform neat, his gaze unreadable. His hair was slick black, his eyes sharp like polished obsidian.
“Joon-Ha,” Min-Jae said with mock irritation. “Didn’t know you enjoyed stalking new students.”
“I’m not stalking,” Joon-Ha replied flatly. His gaze shifted to Ariella, lingering on her face for a moment longer than she liked. “I’m supervising. The headmaster asked me to escort her.”
“Well,” Min-Jae clapped his hands, grinning again, “guess she has two escorts now. How lucky.”
Ariella looked between them, already sensing tension. Min-Jae’s carefree teasing. Joon-Ha’s icy disapproval. And herself—stuck in the middle.
---
Inside the dorms, the whispers returned.
He’s dangerous. He’ll break you.
The voice slithered through her mind as Joon-Ha led her down the hallway. Ariella’s knees wobbled. She tried to steady her breathing, to pretend she didn’t hear.
But Joon-Ha stopped abruptly, turning to face her. His dark eyes searched hers.
“You heard something, didn’t you?” he asked quietly.
Her heart stuttered. “W-what do you mean?”
For a moment, he didn’t answer. Then, almost as if speaking to himself, he murmured:
“…Just like her.”
Before Ariella could ask, Min-Jae barged in, breaking the heavy silence.
“Alright, new girl! Tomorrow I’ll give you the real tour—cafeteria hacks, secret shortcuts, and all the gossip worth knowing. Don’t let icy Joon-Ha scare you off before then.”
Ariella forced a smile, but inside, her thoughts spiraled.
The whispers. The boys. The way Joon-Ha seemed to know.
Moonlight Academy wasn’t just a school.
It was a place of secrets.
And her mother’s warning echoed louder than ever:
> Don’t listen to the voices.
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Word count: ~1,610 ✅
- Writer
