Bella stared at the page, her fingers trembling as she read the final warning
Not to your friends. Not to your family. Not even to yourself.
She blinked, unsure whether it was the lighting or her nerves making the words blur slightly.
She swallowed, pressing the pamphlet flat against her chest. A chill hung in the air as she moved down the corridor, guided by the shaky light of the chandeliers and the map in her other hand. Her boots tapped softly on the marble floor, swallowed quickly by the silence around her.
The corridor suddenly felt a bit too narrow and quiet.
As she rounded the corner leading to Dormitory C, her eyes darted to the portraits on the walls. Something about them felt... wrong.
Why were their eyes that sharp and focused? Do people in portraits stare that deeply?
No. Don't be stupid, she chided herself. They're just old paintings.
But she still couldn't shake the sensation that the eyes were watching her, like they were with her physically.
Bella finally reached a large wooden door marked Dorm C, with the carved image of a crescent moon tucked beneath the letter C. The door creaked faintly as she pushed it open.
A draft of colder air slipped out to greet her.
Inside, the corridor was narrower. The hallway stretched long, with dark wooden doors lining both sides, each marked with their room numbers.
She checked the silver key in her hand again.
C-27.
Room twenty-seven was closer to the far end. As she made her way down, passing door after door, her heart thuddedwith quiet anticipation.
At one point, she thought she heard soft movement behind one of the closed doors, but when she paused the sound vanished. Everywhere became quiet again.
Her hands flew out to the wall for balance.
When she reached her room, she noticed something strange. The number plate on her door was different. It was a slightly darker brass than the others, and colder when she touched it.
The door was already slightly ajar.
She knocked softly anyway.
From inside, a girl's voice responded, "Come in!"
Bella pushed the door open fully.
The room was small but tidy, with soft pink beddings for the three beds. Moonlight filterd in faintly from the window closest to the only unoccupied bed in the room. The other two beds were already claimed, different teddies arranged neatly on top.
Two girls turned to look at her.
The first, sitting cross-legged on the bed by the door, smiled immediately. Her curly dark hair framed a heart-shaped face and curious eyes that seemed to sparkle in the dim light. "You must be Bella? Finally! We were starting to think you wouldn't show up again."
Bella managed a half-smile. "Uhh… how do you know my name? I mean, it wasn't even on the receptionist's list."
"Oh... our headmistress already informed us of your arrival. She chose this room for you, and we are your roommates. I'm Elara," she said, standing and walking closer to her. She reached for Bella's bag without hesitation. "Let me help you. That's your bed by the window."
Bella followed, silently grateful. Thank you, Elara.
The second girl didn't move.
She was sitting near the closet, somewhat hidden in the shadows, her long black hair hanging like a curtain over her face as she mindlessly flipped through a book. She didn't look up. Didn't bother greeting her.
Bella glanced at her, then at Elara.
"Don't take it personally," Elara whispered, catching her glance. "That's Corinne. She… keeps to herself most times."
Corinne flipped a page, acting oblivious to everyone in the room.
Bella nodded slowly and let Elara help her with her bag. The tension lingered only briefly; Elara's warm energy and chatty nature quickly filled the space.
"I was nervous too, the first day I arrived," Elara said softly. "It's a weird place, I know. But you'll get used to it. Soon. Maybe."
"Maybe?" Bella asked, brow arching.
Elara grinned. "Well, the first week is always the strangest. It takes some students longer than usual to settle in. They say your dreams get darker before they become normal again. I'm just saying so you'd know what to expect."
Bella didn't know how to respond to that.
"Are you a science student? Please tell me you are," Elara pleaded earnestly, changing the topic.
"Ohh... I'm sorry to disappoint you," Bella shook her head slowly. "I only offer pure art courses."
"Urghhh," Elara groaned.
"There's your coursemate," she said, gesturing to Corinne with her jaw.
Bella turned to say hi, but Corinne didn't even acknowledge their conversation.
After a few minutes, the room settled into a stillness. Corinne remained unreadable, and Elara busied herself with rearranging her corner to fit in Bella's boxes.
Bella climbed onto her bed at last, sinking into the mattress with a soft sigh. The window above her let in the sound of wind brushing past the trees outside. Somewhere far off, she thought she heard a howl, but it was faint.
Maybe her imagination.
She reached for the pamphlet again, feeling settled enough to go through it again.
There were more rules inside.
She opened to the second page.
---
Student Conduct Policy (Strictly Enforced):
1. Dormitory doors are to remain locked between midnight and 5am Do not open your door for anyone, even if they call your name.
2. No food deliveries past twilight. Food scents can linger and draw attention.
Draw attention? What does that even mean?
3. Attendance to Full Moon Assemblies is non-negotiable. Absence will be noticed and the culprit punished.
4. Avoid eye contact with animals on school grounds. Especially the night owls.
5. If you hear the bells after midnight, cover your mirrors and stay in bed.
6. Never wear red in the forest.
7. Do not speak the names written on the underside of your mattress.
---
Bella blinked, reading the rules again.
They made no sense.
They were not onlyridiculous, but were presented so plainly. As if everyone already knew and understood what they meant. As if she was expected to know too.
She looked over at Elara, who was humming softly and lighting a candle on her bedside shelf.
"Do you... believe in any of these?" Bella asked, voice low.
Elara gave her a sideways glance. "Believe in what?"
"The rules." Bella turned the pamphlet toward her. "These are... creepy."
Elara smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes this time.
"I'd suggest following them, as much as you can, if that's what you're asking."
Bella hesitated. "Are they jokes? Like a prank on new students?"
Elara opened her mouth to reply, but Corinne beat her to it.
"A prank?" she scoffed. "Creepy or not, you keep to the rules if you want to survive here and quit asking questions like you can't understand basic English."
Survive. That word again.
Elara leaned back against her pillow. "Nothing here is a joke, Bella. And trust me, you'll be safer if you stop asking unnecessary questions. Just stick to the rules."
"Have you seen the punishment section?" Corinne asked.
Bella's mouth went dry. "Punishment section?"
"You should go through it. Now."
Bella's fingers turned the page slowly, her heart thudding with a low pulse in her ears. At the top of the next page, embossed in heavy red ink, read:
SANCTIONS & CONSEQUENCES
A single line sat beneath it, italicized:
Obedience ensures survival.
She blinked at it.
What did that even mean?
She read on.
---
Tier One Offenses:
Breaking curfew by less than ten minutes
Unauthorized mirror use between midnight and 5am
Leaving food waste in the dormitories
Sanctions:
Verbal warning
Room confinement
Temporary light deprivation
"Light deprivation?" she asked.
---
Tier Two Offenses:
Attempting to enter restricted areas
Missing Full Moon Assemblies
Speaking to outsiders about internal activities
Wearing red during active hours
Sanctions:
Sensory restriction (smell, sight, or hearing) for 48 hours
Shadow Tracking for one week
Loss of vocal privileges during assemblies
Bella's eyes paused.
"Sensory restriction?" she whispered, furrowing her brow.
Both girls were silent.
---
Tier Three Offenses:
Discussing things you notice in school
Attempting to escape the grounds
Refusing to participate in mandated rites
Sanctions:
Expulsion to the forest
Expulsion to the forest. She read that line again.
Subjects expelled to the forest are no longer the Academy's concern.
Bella's stomach clenched. She flipped the page, desperate for something rational, some sign this was a joke, but the next section was blank. Nothing more.
Just the emblem of the school, a silver wolf curled around the crescent moon.
Bella whispered, "This is insane."
Corinne's voice came again, low and almost amused. "Then maybe you shouldn't have come."
"Expulsion to the forest? What does that even mean?" she whispered.
Elara looked up then, eyes soft but wary. "No one really talks about Tier Three. But… some people are never seen again. They never come back."
Bella stared.
"You'll understand our school eventually, but for now I think you should get some sleep," she said.
Bella swallowed and gently slid the pamphlet under her pillow with trembling fingers.
She lay down, her eyes wide open to the dark ceiling above her.
Elara turned off her lamp and slid under her blanket. "Goodnight, Bella."
Bella's eyes drifted to the moonlight dripping in through the curtain. The cold crept into her chest.
She pulled the blanket over her head and closed her eyes.
Tomorrow, she would find out what kind of school this really was.