CHAPTER 3
1239 Words
Rory’s POV
“You're the new girl?”
I looked up from struggling to push my bags into the room. Two girls were staring at me from a bunk bed like I’d just barged into their sacred space.
“Hi, I'm June.” One of them practically launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around me like we’d been besties in a past life.
“Um… I'm Rory. Nice to meet you.”
The other girl didn’t say a word. She just stared. Like, full eye contact, no blinking, straight-up horror movie level stare. Then she turned away, put her headphones on, and vanished into her own world.
“That's Calla,” June said, waving it off. “Don’t mind her. She’s always like that. But she’s nice… eventually.”
Right.
June pointed to the bed on the other side of the room. “That’s yours. And the wardrobe is enchanted. Just drop your box in, it'll sort your stuff out.”
“Wouldn't I need to unpack my clothes—”
“No time! What’s your first class?”
She was bouncing on her toes like she’d had too much sugar. Blonde curls bobbed everywhere.
“Uh, geography.”
Her eyes lit up. Like actually. I swear I saw a sparkle.
Is something okay with her?
“Perfect! That’s my class too!”
Before I could even blink, she was shoving a uniform in my hand and pushing me toward the bathroom.
“Go, go, go! You don’t want to be late.”
I changed quickly, because getting strangled by a weird girl on day one wasn’t exactly on my bucket list, and came out to find them still where I left them.
June handed me a stack of books and linked her arm in mine like we’d been joined at the soul. I didn’t even get to process how freakishly fast everything had happened before we were already in the hallway.
Damn. She’s... a lot.
—
The walk to class was weird.
People stared. Not just quick glances, but long looks. Like I was some museum exhibit.
And they whispered. Not loud enough to catch full sentences. Just fragments.
“Is that her?”
“That’s the one the headmistress—”
“Thought she was human?”
“She looks like she is.”
I tried to ignore it, but June just kept smiling and chatting like nothing was happening.
“Is it always like this?” I asked.
“Like what?” she blinked.
“The whispering. Staring. Human jokes. We're basically all human.”
She tilted her head. “Oh, I didn’t hear anything.”
She didn't?
“Um, okay…”
I forced a smile and kept walking. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Maybe rich boarding schools were full of weirdos.
I looked around while June told a story of how one of their teachers was found to have a toupee but I wasn't listening.
The painting… The paintings seemed to… move. Just a little. Like their eyes tracked you when you weren’t looking directly.
Totally normal school things.
—
Geography was uneventful. I mean, aside from the fact that the map on the wall looked like it included places that don’t exist. “The Weeping Isles”? “The Forgotten South”? What kind of fantasy novel was this?
June didn’t seem fazed. She just leaned over every five minutes to explain things I didn't ask for and asked me what my favourite colour was.
Priorities.
After class, she waved goodbye, saying something about “enchantments 101” and left me on my own.
Which was when I decided,
I wanted to call my mum.
I made my way back towards the front office. The halls were quieter now, eerie even, and for the first time since arriving, I noticed just how trapped I felt. The gates. The guards. The way everything seemed too big and too old. Thornheart felt like it had been here for centuries, and maybe it had.
Did I rush into things because I wanted to get away and got myself into trouble instead?
I reached the front office and rang the little bell. The receptionist looked up at me from behind a glass desk like she’d been expecting me.
“Yes?”
“I just... wanted to make a call. To my mum. Just to let her know I’m okay.”
She smiled, tight-lipped. “I'm afraid that's not allowed until after your first month.”
My brows furrowed. “Excuse me? That can’t be right. She literally dumped me here with a man in a long trench coat. I didn’t even say goodbye properly.”
“Our policy is very clear.” Her voice had the warmth of a freezer. “No outside contact during the orientation period. It helps with adjustment.”
I blinked. “Okay but… oh, what if there’s an emergency? What if I—”
“You’re safe here, Miss Hale. And your mother was informed of our rules.”
“I doubt that,” I muttered but I was sure she heard me.
She looked at her screen, then back at me. “Actually... your records are incomplete.”
I froze. “What?”
“There’s missing data in your file. Species classification is blank.”
I frowned. “Species what now?”
She blinked slowly, then shook her head like she’d said something wrong. “Sorry. I meant, um… background. Some of your background info didn’t transfer properly.”
“Right.” I took a step back. “Cool. Totally normal.”
The receptionist smiled again. “We’ll get it sorted. Go enjoy your classes.”
Nope. Nope, nope, nope. I needed air.
—
I wandered into the library because... what else do lost, spiralling teenagers do? The place was massive and way too gothic for my taste.
Columns, spiral staircases, floating lanterns. Real Beauty and the Beast vibes. Minus the beast. Hopefully.
There was no one else around. Just me, the shelves, and a creepy sense that I wasn’t alone.
I found a book that looked interesting, Thornheart: A Complete History. I tugged it.
It didn’t budge.
I pulled harder.
The shelf jolted and—
“Oh god”
My foot slipped.
I didn’t even have time to scream properly before strong and strangely cold arms caught me.
I looked up and locked eyes with…
Him.
He was beautiful in that I don’t trust this guy, he’s too perfect kind of way.
Extremely pale skin. Black hair. Red eyes that glowed faintly like red rubies.
He looked startled. Not just “I caught a girl”, startled, but what the hell is this kind of startled?
“You…” he whispered, like it wasn’t meant to be heard.
“Thanks,” I said, trying to stand, but he didn’t move.
Then something burned.
My fingertip. A papercut from earlier. A single drop of blood welled up.
His eyes dropped to it. And then something glowed.
An insignia lit up on his neck, like it had been branded there. It shimmered red. The same red as my blood.
I stared at him, wide-eyed.
He stared back, terrified.
“Not again,” he said under his breath.
“What the actual–”
But he dropped me. Fast.
I landed with a thud. “Ow, Jesus, what is your problem—?”
But he was already gone.
- Writer
