CLASS OF SECRETS

The first thing Wren Ashby noticed about Kingsley Preparatory Academy was that it didn’t look like a school. It looked like the kind of place ordinary people weren’t meant to enter. Beyond the towering iron gates stood ivy-covered stone buildings that resembled a university more than a boarding school. Manicured gardens stretched between marble fountains, and luxury cars lined the circular driveway, dropping off students whose luggage probably cost more than everything Wren owned. She tightened her grip on the worn handle of her single suitcase. “Scholarship student?” the security guard asked, glancing at her ID. Wren nodded. He gave her a polite smile. “Welcome to Kingsley.” It sounded less like a greeting and more like a warning. Half an hour later, Wren was dragging her suitcase through the girls’ dormitory. The hallway buzzed with laughter and conversations. Parents hugged tearful daughters goodbye while housekeepers wheeled expensive luggage into enormous rooms. Designer perfume floated through the air. Someone complained that the school’s Wi-Fi wasn’t fast enough. Someone else argued because their room overlooked the east courtyard instead of the lake. Wren looked down at the faded sneakers on her feet. Different world. Same planet. Barely. Room 214. She unlocked the door and stepped inside. The room was brighter than she’d expected. Two neatly made beds. A shared desk beneath a large window. Bookshelves. A small sitting area. Someone was already there. A blonde girl was balancing on a chair, trying to tape fairy lights around the window. “Oh!” She nearly lost her balance. Wren instinctively rushed forward and steadied the chair. “Careful.” The girl laughed. “That would’ve been embarrassing.” She hopped down and held out her hand. “You must be Wren.” “Wren Ashby.” “I’m Lily Hart.” Her smile came easily, warm enough to melt some of Wren’s nervousness. “I already claimed the bed by the window,” Lily admitted. “But if you really want it, I’ll switch.” “It’s okay.” “You sure?” “I don’t mind.” “Good.” Lily grinned. “Because I unpacked everything already.” Wren couldn’t help smiling. For the first time since arriving, she relaxed. Maybe this year won't be so bad. An hour later, they’d already learned surprising things about each other. Lily talked enough for both of them. She loved mystery novels. Collected old newspaper clippings. Hated chemistry. Believed pineapple belonged on pizza. Wren wasn’t sure about that last one. “So,” Lily asked while helping fold clothes into the wardrobe, “what’s your family like?” “My mom works two jobs.” “And your dad?” A brief silence. He died when I was little. Lily’s expression softened. I’m sorry. Wren shrugged gently. I don’t really remember him. Before Lily could respond, shouting erupted somewhere outside. A door slammed. Then another. Running footsteps thundered down the hallway. Girls started yelling. Oh my God! “Move!” Call someone! Lily frowned. What happened? More footsteps. Someone began crying. Without thinking, Wren opened the door. Students were rushing toward the opposite end of the corridor. Some looked frightened. Others were simply curious. Lily appeared beside her. “Come on.” They followed the crowd. Outside Room 227, several girls stood frozen. The dorm matron was trying to push everyone back. Return to your rooms immediately! No one listened. Wren caught a glimpse past the crowd. A girl, she couldn’t have been older than seventeen, was slumped against the bathroom wall. Blood stained the white tile beneath her. Her school skirt. Her legs. Too much blood. One of the girls nearby whispered shakily, “I heard…” “…she tried to end a pregnancy.” Another immediately shushed her. You don’t know that. I saw the pregnancy test in her room. Someone else started crying. The injured girl looked barely conscious. A teacher knelt beside her. “Stay with me.” An ambulance siren echoed faintly outside the dormitory. The girl tried to speak. No sound came out. Then her eyes rolled shut. The hallway fell silent. Even the whispers stopped. Wren felt her stomach twist. Kingsley’s glossy brochures had promised excellence, prestige, opportunity. Not this. Not ambulances on the first day. Not blood on polished floors. The paramedics finally arrived, carefully lifting the unconscious student onto a stretcher before hurrying her away. As soon as they disappeared down the staircase, conversations exploded again. “She’ll get expelled.” “My mother said scandals disappear fast at Kingsley.” I heard this isn’t the first time. It happened three years ago too. No, it didn’t. “My sister told me….” Enough. The dorm matron’s sharp voice cut through the gossip. Everyone back to your rooms. Immediately. The students reluctantly dispersed. As Wren and Lily walked back toward Room 214, Lily glanced over her shoulder. “That was…” “Horrible,” Wren finished. Lily nodded. Kingsley likes pretending everything is perfect. What do you mean? Lily hesitated. Then shrugged. Nothing. Back inside the room, neither of them spoke for a while. The excitement of move-in day had vanished. Outside, the hallway slowly returned to normal, as though nothing had happened. Wren stood by the window, watching the ambulance disappear beyond the academy gates. Something about today didn’t sit right with her. Not the blood. Not the way every teacher seemed desperate to end the conversation before it had even begun. A few minutes later, someone knocked gently on their door. Three soft knocks. Lily opened it. A senior girl stood outside with a stack of printed schedules. “Welcome to Kingsley,” she said with a practiced smile. “Orientation starts at eight tomorrow morning. Don’t be late.” She handed them each a timetable. As she turned to leave, Wren noticed something stitched in silver thread onto the senior’s blazer pocket. A black crest. A circle surrounded by thorn-like branches. At its center… A single obsidian-colored eye. “What club is that?” Wren asked. The senior stopped walking. For a split second, the smile disappeared from her face. Then it returned. “Oh.” She brushed invisible dust from the crest. “Nothing you need to worry about.” She walked away. Lily quietly closed the door. For reasons Wren couldn’t explain… She noticed Lily staring at the disappearing crest with an expression that looked disturbingly close to fear.