I must have slept for a very long time because when I woke up, it was already evening and my head was slumped on someone's shoulder. I sat up immediately and yawned. The train was still moving.
"You up?" Hari Spence said beside me. He was still smoking .
I nodded, stretching my limbs and turning to face him. His eyes were crystal clear.
"You didn't sleep a wink?" It sounded more like an accusation.
"Nah ." He shook his head and stared out of the window.
"Any idea where we at ?" I wondered loudly, extracting my phone from my coat pocket. "Does this place have a fucking GPS?"
11 missed calls from Barbie Mullen stared me at the face and two text messages.
"We are close to The Tishian Train Station" Hari said calmly. "I think we will halt very soon."
"And you know this how?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Instinct" He shrugged with a wry smile.
I looked at the other compartments. Peach was still heavily engrossed with her phone. Cassidy had buried her face inside a big book. I wondered where the mustached Scavenger had drifted to.
My eyes turned to my phone again and I opened the text messages.
Barbie Mullen had texted :
"Don't tell me you are dead already".
Norma Jean sent :
"Moon Sol, sisi. Say hi for me."
I rolled my eyes. Moon Sol my foot. My sister's obsession for this werewolf rockband was becoming infuriating. I smirked with irritation. Typical of her to say "say hi for me" as if there was anything worth saying hi to. Lil bunch of fanged idiots.
I replied Barbie:
"Alive. Why would I be dead on day 1?"
And to Norma Jean, I sent :
"Say hi to your Chemistry books for me. The SATs are coming up soon."
Feeling very much satisfied with this retort, I was about to plug in my headphones and drown in the music when the train coughed to a sudden halt. Hari turned to me with an "I told you so" smirk.
"Yeah, right" I muttered flatly while watching Hari hurriedly stub out his cigarette and for once Peach had put her phone down.
Ethan Scavenger hurried over from whatever hole he might have been.
"My dears ," His voice sounded gratingly annoying to my ears "We are at The Tishian Train Station. Cars are waiting to take you straight to The Academy. I can't begin to imagine how tired you must be but a little patience, pray thee, this long ride will soon be over."
When the compartment doors opened, I trudged sluggishly behind Hari.
______________________________________________
Ethan Scavenger had not warned us about the paparazzi. The minute we stepped down, we were nearly blinded by camera lights and a dozen reporters desperately trying to put their mouths in our throats and suck up our thoughts. It was way worse than the ones at home. I staggered blindly, catching glimpses of words like... "foreigners..".. "The scholarship students from the Black Colony"... "The emblems of the new world peace"...
There were four sleek cars waiting for us and chaffeurs who hastily brought in our luggages past the overzealous throng of reporters. Hari Spence held my hands and led me to one of the cars.
We opened the doors and sat in, exhaling in relief.
"Scavenger is giving a speech." Hari said, staring out of the window.
"He should" I said listlessly cupping my face in my hands and wondering what the hell I was doing here. I should be discussing boring novels with Barbie Mullen. I should be glaring at my infuriating sister Norma Jean. I should be watching Francine and Gillian throttle each other. I should be in my boring room counting the boring ceiling.
Why am I sitting in a fancy car, taking me on a fancy ride to a fancy school in a place crawling with Supernaturals that may rip my throat out in a second . How do I fit into a world that is not my world. What on earth are we doing in The White Colony.
I have no idea that I am crying. I mean there's something wet on my face and when it slips to my mouth it tastes like salt. But it is not until Hari slips a hand on my shoulders and I am wondering why he's squeezing so gently and offering me a handkerchief.
"It is going to be alright" He says quietly "You are not alone. We are in this together."
I want to hug him. To bury my face on his shoulders and tell him we are doomed together. But when I raise my face, the tears just come in torrents and I press the handkerchief closer to my face.
______________________________________________
A forty four minutes ride brings us to a big , bronze gate. It is late evening but not too dark for me to lower the car windows and stare with fascination at the big, broad inscription on the gate :
THE ACADEMY OF MAGIC ARTS AND SCIENCES ,
"Nosce Te Ipsum" .
We drove through the open gates and up a straight, paved driveway.
Low buildings sat ahead, neat and pale against the green lawns.
The grass was trimmed short, the paths lined with small shrubs.
It looked clean, orderly, and a little too quiet.
Okay . so there's something bubbling at the pit of my stomach and I think it's excitement because the grandiose center building I am seeing is enough to build butterflies. It is as huge as a tower , a beautiful tower. I know it's not supposed to be beautiful, it's supposed to be old and ugly and evoke repulse at the pit of our stomachs. But what I am staring at is much more beautiful and vaster than the Governor's Tower at Rudwan.
Peach is already taking photos and has gone live on Tiktok .. again. Well the infectious enthusiasm is not lost on Cassidy whose eyes are nearly popping out of their sockets. Hari is somehow unimpressed though. He leans against the car, his hands folded across his chest and his face a mask of stone.
Okay. . I am trying to look unimpressed too but my face kinda twitches into a broad smile. Yuck. Traitor.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Scavenger drools with that obvious sense of pride . "Once you are placed in your respective dormitories, you can join us for dinner. You must be so famished. Don't worry. The White Colony is literally the crux of hospitality"
I winced.
Ethan Scavenger swaggered off, leaving us at the mercy of seven male valets all dressed in white shirts and black trousers and shoes that looked too big on them. Hari Spence punched in his numbers into my phone and let our a very tired yawn.
"I don't think I will meet up dinner" He whispered "My eyes are literally closing."
"I will eat for two" I assured him. My stomach was already rumbling. .
The Dormitory was in another building called Craig Hall. We were led by an immensely fat woman who called herself Claudine while the valets struggled with our numerous luggages.
I was assigned to room 42 in the Girls Wing in the topmost floor. I waited patiently until my twelve boxes were delivered before opening the door. It was past 8pm and everywhere was dark. My hands kissed the wall, looking for the switch. Suddenly something flicked and the lights were turned on.
I found myself face to face with a blonde haired girl who was a head taller than I was. She was standing only inches away from my face. The shock was enough to make me stumble backwards, hitting my head on the wall.
Feeling like an idiot, I rubbed my head calmly while my eyes went over her. Her skin was frightfully pale, almost ashen as if she was on the verge of disappearing. But she looked well fed and robust and her pale face had a striking glow. She was staring at me with a half frown and a half sneer, hugging her grey night dress with her hands.
While the silence and the unease hovered, I let my eyes drift beyond her and into the room. A wide room painted pink. A whirling ceiling fan. A wall clock. Two beds. One was made up, unslept in. The other was in disarray. Two tables and chairs. Tons of books scattered across one table.
"Hi" I ventured, stretching forth my hands with all the self confidence I could muster. "Am Night. Night Carter ".
She shook it. Her hand was death cold. As cold as a corpse. A chill passed through me.
"Beth." Her mouth widened into a smile. A smile that revealed fangs and something reddish dripping down her chin. Was that BLOOD!!!!.
"Jesus fucking Christ!!" I exclaimed in horror, my hands instinctively going round my neck. Plssssssssssss tell me I am in the wrong room.
Beth licked the blood off her chin with a relish.
"Sorry about that" She said apologetically, fangs still very visible. "I just kinda had dinner. God !!. I haven't fed in three weeks. I was literally starving."
"Yes...umm" I stuttered, my hands on the door "Congrats on your dinner. I am so sorry for disturbing you. This is definitely the wrong room."
I was out before she could reply, my blood pressure shooting up in fright and something akin to fury.