Unroyal

Prologue

Dahlia

Mom liked to say the day when she gave birth to my older brother and me were the happiest days of her life. Ezra was born two years before me, like a guardian angel. He always put me above himself, the breadwinner of the family. He protected me from the flashing nightmares when I woke up in the middle of the night, he was the reason there was food on the table, and he always took blows for me when he could, even when his back was scorched with welts. For me, my brother is everything. Every time I try to make friends I fear they'd grow to be tired of me. I either talk too much or too little, and that didn't help my self-confidence at all.

I wish I could say that didn't bother me, but it does.

I'd only come home at night. It was my little routine. I'd go to school, and bury my head with books and pages, like a distraction from what was really going on. My pencils, my books, and I were the only escape from the world. I always found myself transfixed with the phenomenon of stars and outer space. I colored, drew, sketched, and painted the stars, moons, and constellations, slowly willing my sadness away. It wasn't a full-proof situation, it wouldn't stop anything from happening but it was almost like a numbing solution. 

For me, Arcane Academy was a long shot. The school itself was a humble boast, the navy blue logo a status symbol. There are a few ways to get in parents being noble figures that can bribe their way in are the most common. Scholarship-wise, it's near impossible- only two are accepted each year, a boy and a girl.

Arcane Academy was a one-way ticket to success. Royals, celebrities, noblemen... yeah. If you could afford it, it was a no-brainer. 

The whole thing was a selective process, one in a million, a golden opportunity. Both academically and elementally gifted. I fought tooth and nail, after school, in between breaks, studying so hard it would make my skin peel if that was even possible.. The practice kept my head clear. After all this, I still knew I didn't have a chance. Somewhere far away there was probably a girl or boy who needed it more suffered worse things or had larger chances, tutors at their every call. and the money to back it up too. I just don't have that luxury, and self-pity never goes anywhere. I decided not to apply and hesitated to send in my application at the mailbox against my better judgment. 

So imagine my surprise when I open the door to a letter. A dark blue velvet envelope with a famous golden logo engraved on it's corner.