BEASTLY INFERNO

CHAPTER ONE

2016 | 21st Century

The sun peeked through the blinds, its harsh rays making my eyelash feel like it was about to burn off. I groaned, squinting against the sharp brightness and rolling over to escape the relentless glare. But my small victory of evading the sunlight was short-lived, as my door swung open with all the force of a hurricane.

“NEROLI ANDERSON! Get your butt up! Our last paper of the exam is about to start in T-minus forty minutes!”

I blinked rapidly, my eyes snapping open in confusion. The dizzying feeling of being yanked out of sleep hit me like a punch to the face, but I pushed through it, adrenaline starting to kick in. My body reacted almost instinctively to the urgency in her voice. I turned to look at the door, my heart pounding in my chest as I saw Ellie standing there, hands on her hips, a look of mock fury plastered on her face.

“Are you serious right now?” she demanded. “You promised me no oversleeping today!”

I stared at her in a daze for a moment before my eyes widened. I turned to the clock above my door and nearly had a heart attack when I saw the time.

“s**t! I overslept!” My voice came out hoarse, still thick from sleep.

“Yeah, no kidding!” Ellie shot back, rolling her eyes. “Get a move on, Neroli! You’ve got an exam to pass and no time to be cute.”

I scrambled out of bed, my limbs feeling heavy and uncoordinated as I stumbled toward the bathroom. The dizziness swirled in my head, but I tried to ignore it. I glanced over at my roommate’s empty bed, confirming that, yes, she hadn’t bothered waking me up either. Typical.

Ellie followed my gaze, shaking her head as a frown creased her brow. “That girl’s got no respect for anyone. I swear, I’m about to knock some sense into her one of these days.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle, despite the panic rising in my chest. “She’s always like that. Guess I’ll just have to survive on caffeine and adrenaline.”

While I was pulling off my pajamas and trying to find something decent to wear, Ellie threw me a roll of toilet paper.

“Here, wipe that sleep off your face, princess,” she said with a teasing grin. “I’ll be back to make sure you don’t embarrass yourself.”

I quickly made my way to the bathroom, multitasking like a pro—brushing my teeth, quickly detangling my unruly Afro, and taking the fastest shower of my life. The water barely had time to rinse the soap off me before I was out, towel-drying my body and running a comb through my hair in record time.

By the time I emerged from the bathroom, Ellie had already spread my uniform out on the bed, looking ready for a fight.

“Please, Neroli, for the love of all things holy, can you be on time for once?” she teased, throwing me a stern look.

I smiled sheepishly, sliding into my underwear. “Okay, okay, I’m getting there.”

I hurriedly put on my uniform, only pausing to apply some hair treatment and comb through my hair. I didn’t have time to mess with fancy styles, so I decided on a simple yet sleek bun. After a quick spritz of body spray, I glanced at Ellie, who gave me a thumbs-up and smiled.

“Looking good. Now, can we go before I get a heart attack from stress?”

We rushed down the hallway to the class building, our footsteps hurried but in sync. When we reached the door, the bell rang, signaling the start of the exam. I turned to Ellie, giving her a quick, nervous smile.

“Good luck,” we said in unison, sharing a brief laugh. It was a little moment of calm before the storm.

The teacher walked in, her eyes scanning the room critically before clearing her throat.

“Alright, class,” she began, her voice stern. “You have one hour to answer these questions and shade in your answers with a pencil—nothing more, nothing less.”

The next hour felt like a lifetime. My mind raced as I tried to focus on the exam, but the pressure of it all made my hands shake. I could feel the sweat on my palms, the pencil in my grip suddenly feeling heavy. The questions on the paper blurred before my eyes as I filled in the bubbles, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep my thoughts from drifting. The stress of everything going on in my life kept creeping back—unanswered questions, doubts, and the looming uncertainty of what was to come after this semester. But there was no time for doubt now. I had to finish. I couldn’t afford to let this slip through my fingers.

I tried to concentrate, but the ticking of the clock felt like a drumbeat in my head. Every second was a countdown to something I wasn’t sure I was ready for. My fingers trembled as I glanced at the page again, hoping that I hadn’t missed something. I felt like I was swimming against the tide, every stroke harder than the last, my energy draining with each passing minute.

Then, suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the end of the exam.

I blinked, the sound breaking me from my foggy thoughts. A wave of relief crashed over me, and I let out a long breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. My hands, now still, were clammy with the remnants of the stress that had gripped them. I looked around at the room, seeing the same exhaustion etched on the faces of my classmates. It was over. We had survived.

“We’re done, finally!” I breathed out, the words almost a whisper as I turned to Ellie, who had the same exhausted look on her face. Her normally bright eyes were clouded with fatigue, but there was something in the way her lips curled upward that told me she was relieved, too.

“This week has been hell,” she said, rubbing her forehead as if trying to physically remove the weight of the past few days. “I’m just glad it’s over. Can’t wait to go home and forget about this for a few days.”

I nodded vigorously, almost as if she were speaking my thoughts. “Same,” I replied, feeling a slight smile tug at the corners of my mouth. “I can’t believe we made it through. I need a vacation from life.”

Ellie shot me a look, one eyebrow raised. “You always need a vacation, Neroli.” Her voice was teasing, but there was an affection in it that made me feel at ease. “Come on, let’s get to your place and get out of this hellhole.”

Her words were light, but they carried the weight of everything we had been through. I smiled, appreciating the way she always knew how to lighten the mood, even in the midst of chaos.

We grabbed our things, the heavy backpacks feeling lighter now that the burden of the exam was off our shoulders. We walked back to my dorm room, the walk slow and almost leisurely compared to the rush we’d been in earlier. The sense of freedom that washed over me was intoxicating, and I couldn’t help but take a deep breath, savoring the stillness of the moment. The chaos of exams was over, if only for a little while.

“I can’t wait for you to meet my folks,” I said as I stuffed my books into my bag. I was still grinning, the thought of what was to come filling me with excitement. “You’re going to love them. They’re hilarious.”

Ellie’s eyes brightened at the mention of my parents. “I’m glad you invited me,” she said, nodding enthusiastically. “Since my parents can’t make it this time, it’ll be fun to spend the holiday with you. I’ve been dying to see what your family’s like.”

Her words made me feel warm inside. I didn’t often bring people home with me—my family was a bit… unpredictable. But I was glad she was coming. I knew Ellie would fit right in with my loud, chaotic, and loving family.

We reached her dorm room, and she quickly grabbed her bag, her movements quick but careful, as if trying to contain her excitement. Then we made our way to the parking lot, chatting casually about everything and nothing. The weight of the world felt lighter with each step we took, the promise of a brief escape making everything seem a little brighter.

When we reached the parking lot, I noticed the sleek black SUV pulling up, its engine purring like a well-oiled machine. It looked like something straight out of a movie—dark, mysterious, and impossibly elegant. The black tinted windows only added to the aura of intrigue. The car seemed to glide to a stop in front of us, and for a brief moment, I wondered if we were somehow caught in the middle of a scene from a film I had never seen.

The door opened with a quiet hum, and a man emerged. He was tall, his posture formal and confident, moving with a fluidity that suggested power and control. He wore a sharp, well-fitted suit, the kind that looked like it cost more than my entire semester’s tuition. His dark hair was neatly combed, and the intensity in his eyes made him look almost otherworldly. He was strikingly handsome in a way that was hard to ignore, but it was the air of quiet authority around him that caught my attention the most.

Ellie seemed unfazed by his appearance, her eyes lighting up as she stepped forward. “Dave!” she said, her voice warm and welcoming.

He moved toward her with a purposeful stride and pulled her into a tight hug. I couldn’t help but notice the slight tension in his body, though it melted away as soon as they embraced.

Hello, Miss,” Dave said with a polite bow, his voice deep and calm. “I’m so glad to finally take you home. The Al—”

Ellie immediately cut him off with a wide smile, “Oh, Dave! It’s so good to see you!”

Dave’s eyes widened when he saw me, a slight smile curving on his lips. He nodded in my direction before starting to load our bags into the car.

“This is my human friend, Neroli,” Ellie introduced, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Human?” I blinked, my mind immediately trying to process the term. I opened my mouth to ask what she meant, but the words stuck in my throat. Before I could respond, Ellie quickly diverted the conversation with a laugh.

“This is my human friend,” she repeated with a teasing grin, as if it was just a casual detail to throw in.

My brows furrowed, but before I could ask anything else, Ellie turned to me, her expression already shifting toward something else. The strange comment lingered in my mind, but I decided not to press it further. Not now, not when everything felt so unfamiliar.o