“Mistress, please don’t antagonize these girls. They are… what do you call them? The mean girls? The pack leaders? Sheepherders?”
“See what I mean?” The golden blonde seems to have recovered. “She jokes about murder, Declan. Who even does that? I’m sure we can find someone more suited to the position. Hey, you!” Blondie clicks her fingers at a passing boy who stops and stares at her with confusion.
“What?” he says.
At that moment, Declan steps in, gently pushing her clicking hand down. “I’ll be fine.”
“But—”
He tilts his head at her, and extraordinarily, the girl shuts up. I smirk. Cool.
Noticing my smile, the girl glares daggers at me, and my fingers tingle with the need to pop a few curses in her direction. “When is the right time to defend myself, Lore?” I whisper, my mouth hidden behind the envelope.
“It would be wise not to show your powers unless necessary, Serena. Please don’t ruin our chances of blending in. We have a mission to complete.”
“Fine. But you owe me. I know you’re only saying that because you want to get your nerd brain to the library.” I chuckle, and she lightly pecks my cheek.
“Let’s go, Serena. We have to sign in for the entrance examination, and I don’t feel like dealing with these… minor herding animals. They make my feathers itch.”
I grin at her poor excuse for a diss, then turn my attention back to those before me.
“As much as I would love to continue with this delightful charade, I have places to be and an exam to squash you all in. So, if you’ll excuse me.” With a two-fingered salute, I sidestep my fans and make my way toward the entrance of the school, parting crowds of students like the red sea as I go.
I shield my eyes as I step into the harsh morning sunlight and onto the walkway leading toward a marble entryway where the other students seem to linger before moving inside.
I follow after them and catch the door as it swings closed behind a couple of girls. I almost have to squint as I walk inside. Bright ceiling lights bounce off the marble floors, and natural light from the large windows reflects off the pristine white walls. The architecture is modern, composed of clean lines and enough white paint to fill a swimming pool. Not a speck of dirt disrupts the perfection. Not a hint of darkness taints the purity. It kind of reminds me of—
I pause and shove the memories back deep down to where they belong, but not before seeing her piercing emerald eyes and soft smile.
“See, Lore? I don’t need to resort to violence. Aren’t you proud?” I say to distract myself, and she chirps affirmatively.
“So, Darkness has a proper name?” Declan says, and I fight the urge to shut the door firmly behind me. Lore lets out a long hoot, confirming his suspicion. I send her a scowl as I turn around, and Declan grins smugly. He raises a hand and points over my shoulder, to the right. “You’re heading that way.”
“Right…” I say and turn back around to follow his finger.
Seeing a line of students forming at a desk with their registration papers, I veer toward them, pulling out my own from the envelope. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when a familiar presence comes to loiter behind me.
“You know, in most developed countries, stalking is considered harassment,” I say, looking straight ahead. The people in front of me turn, their eyes widening as they realize who I’m talking to. Or more accurately, who I’m accusing.
But he just laughs. And I thought I was weird. I don’t know whether he’s touched in the head or if he gets off on sass. And a strong part of me wants to figure it out.
“We are not here to make romance with boys, Serena,” Lore scolds.
“‘Make romance’? What have you been reading?” I whisper as quietly as possible, but the deep chuckle behind me tells me it wasn’t soft enough.
“Next!” A voice calls as the boy in front of me moves off to the side and through a door to the right. As he does, the woman behind the desk catches sight of me, and her eyes widen, but it is her assistant who turns a sickly, white shade when her eyes land on the dark pin on my jacket. I steel my spine, and a shutter falls over my face as the assistant stares at me, her fear palpable. When neither says anything, I release some of the tension in my shoulders and roll my eyes.
“Hello, my name is Serena. I’m the guinea—” Lore pecks my cheek. I sigh and change course. “I’m the Academy of the Dark transfer student, here on trial.” I hand over my papers which the assistant takes in her shaking hands, but her eyes never move from mine.
“I believe I am meant to participate in the entrance exam, and if I pass, I am allowed admittance into the academy,” I say, but it appears she barely registers my words, so I turn my gaze to the older woman who has taken my papers from the girl and is reading over them.
“Maybe we did not take into account the fear that regular light conjurers have for our kind…” Lore whispers with a hint of sadness.
Drawing a deep breath, I move closer to the table until we’re practically on top of it, and I smile—or at least, I hope I’m smiling—in a non-scary kind of way. The girl rears back.
“I understand what you must think of me,” I say gently. “Our people have been at war for as long as anyone can remember. But I am here to make a difference and hopefully bridge the gap between our two sides.”
At that moment, the older woman stamps my papers, scribbles some information on a new
