Let's Play A Game, Alpha

17 - Crazy Mama Jean

"Bloody hell, calm down!" Lucian growled, backing into the elaborate driveway of Riverwells Private Boarding School for Girls. Yep. I was doing it. I was finally sending Flora to school. And not just the crappy public school in Draycott. Nope, this was the private academy shit going on right here. The building had a wrought iron gate with a lion head, for Pete's sake. "You're not even the one who's going to school." Lucian added.

Riverwells House Academy was a private boarding school near River Thames. Lucian suggested we let Flora live with the other girls in dormitories instead of coming home every afternoon. After a big debate and some shouting matches, I finally agreed. Flora was a big girl already, but I wasn't too keen on letting my only family I had left leave me for 9 months and come home with a snobby attitude and a French boy by her side. Not to mention, I didn't even know whose hands I would be leaving my sister in. Those headmistresses can be damn cruel. But that's what Flora wanted. Maybe it was for the best.

Lucian had said it was better if she left us for a few months and cleared her head. After the horrible thing with Viktor, his words only justified what I felt. However, I was terrified of letting my sister go. The world was a hellish place...could she really make it?

Riverwells was a large school, about ten times the size of Lucian's mansion, which was pretty impressive. Lucian and I had looked over at least one hundred pamphlets of good schools that was near his house (I still wasn't ready to call it our house yet) that had boarding and a good education system. Riverwells was the only one who seemed to fit the description, which 2 indoor pools and a golf course, yet the building looked much more intimidating in real life than in a blurry picture on paper. The driveway was masculine and screamed fancy. The building itself was a cheery tan brick and shiny windows peered back at us like crows eyes.

"Oh my God. Oh my bloody God. No. No. Lucian, take us back." And yes, I was freaking out. Flora squirmed in my lap. Riverwells had no uniform as far as Lucian thought. I had dressed her in a black skirt and blazer that Vaughn had gotten (seriously, what was it with werewolves and the color black?). Her blonde hair was curly as ever. Flora had refused to let me brush it, yelling incomprehensible sentences for her first day at a new school.

"No, Lucian!" she yelled cheerfully back. "Keep driving! Victoria, look! It's my new school. I'm gonna live there and make friends and have sleepovers....are the other girls going to sleep in the same bed as me? Because I don't like sharing!"

Lucian parked the car, glancing briefly at me sideways. I chewed my lower lip, inspecting the entire building for any mistakes. There was one tan brick near the door that looked crumbly and out of place. My nerves were in a twisted jumble as Flora jumped out of the car, looking way too happy about leaving her moody teenage sister behind.

"Please Victoria, will you relax?" Lucian said, getting out. I followed suit and picked up Flora. "Even Flora is taking this better than you are, and she's the one who's going to live here. Besides, Riverwells Academy is what, 3 hours from Castleton? For goodness sake."

I slapped Lucian's arm in panic. "What is Castleton?!"

He eyed me warily as we made our way up to the doors. "It's where we live, Victoria. Our house? In Castleton? In London? In England? In the United Kingdom? In Great Britain? In Europe? In-"

"Oh, shut up." I snapped as we reached the steps. Lucian chuckled dourly from behind me, sending a spasm of goosebumps down my back. Things were getting better between us, but I knew it wouldn't last. We would eventually butt heads over one thing or another soon enough. I could feel his presence behind me, his chest almost touching my back in a less than appropriate way as I stood frozen facing the grand double doors. My hand was clenched around the snarling lion doorknob but I couldn't seem to let go.