I stepped off the train with a backpack full of lies and a fake ID that said I was someone named Raven Black.
Good enough.
Nocturne Academy was as weird as the rumors promised—tall black towers, windows like eyes, and gates that looked like they were built to keep something in, not out. The sky above was gray, even though the sun should've been out. It smelled like wet stone and something old, like dust and magic.
A guy with a limp and one cloudy eye stood by the entrance. He didn't ask for a handshake. Just:"Name."
"Raven Black," I said.
He raised an eyebrow but didn't push it. Instead, he shoved a brass key into my hand and pointed at the farthest building on the left. "West Wing. Room 317. Curfew is dusk. Break it, and you deal with the Night Guard. Good luck."
Didn't sound like a joke.
I nodded, slipped the key in my coat pocket, and kept walking.
Everyone around me was dressed in shades of shadow—black, blood red, or deep forest green. Some looked normal. Others… didn't. I passed a guy whose eyes glowed like brake lights, a girl with silver hair and fangs, and someone I could've sworn had claws. No one smiled.
Welcome to the school for monsters.
My room was three floors up in a tower that creaked when the wind blew. Inside, it was small but clean—stone walls, a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe that smelled faintly like iron. I dropped my bag on the bed and locked the door behind me.
Then I pulled out the only real thing I owned: a crumpled photo of my dad.
The last one ever taken of him.
Blood on his coat. Shock on his face. Behind him—barely visible—a blur of a figure. Wearing the Nocturne crest.
He died here.
Now I was here, too. Under a fake name. With just one goal.
Find the vampire who killed him.
And end them.
Someone knocked on the door.
I hesitated, tucked the photo away, then opened it.
The boy standing outside looked like a vampire even before he said anything. Black hair. Red eyes. Pale, like he'd never seen a summer in his life. He leaned against the doorframe like he owned it.
"You're the new girl," he said.
"Yeah," I said flatly. "And you're blocking the hallway."
He laughed once. "Name?"
"Raven."
He tilted his head. "Right. Kael. House of Varn. Don't get involved in things you don't understand, Raven. Nocturne's got rules. Most of them will get you killed if you ignore them."
I stared. "Thanks for the friendly welcome."
He didn't move. "You smell... weird."
My fingers twitched. "Excuse me?"
"Not fully human. Not fully vampire, either." He looked curious, not threatening. "Half-blood?"
I met his eyes. "You ask a lot of questions for someone I just met."
Kael didn't look offended. Just intrigued. Then he smirked. "Alright. Keep your secrets. See you around."
He turned and walked away like this was his castle and I was just some tourist who wouldn't last a week.
Maybe I wouldn't.
Or maybe they'd wish I hadn't come at all.