Arina Maddison and The Dragonborns: The Blood Prophecy

~Chapter 3~

The landing of the jet had been just as smooth as the takeoff, as it cruised into the hanger in what looked like the middle of nowhere. Relatively small and secluded, it held just a few other small jets—some black, some white, and one rather large white 747. As the door opened, men entered the plane and ushered us, along with our bags, onto the tarmac where a sleek, black car sat idle.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to the extravagance of it all." Jason's smooth voice caressed the side of my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. "The Hall will be a big change compared to Chinatown, huh?"

"How do you know where I'm from? I never told you that." I snapped my head toward him, stunned. Most people have a good sense of personal space and know when to back up, but not Jason. He never budged an inch. A Cheshire-like grin spread across his face and lit up his cerulean eyes. Something lingered in the air between us like an unanswered question, but it was brushed away by a gentle breeze that swept the hanger.

"I overheard Anya talking about it." He shrugged, readjusting the strap of his bag over his shoulder. Evie stood just a few feet away, watching us with interest. For a moment, I remembered the hint of red I had seen, and I stared at the same bag curiously. I didn't see a hint of movement now. His eyes dropped down to my collarbone, where I was fiddling with my necklace, and lingered on the emblem.

"Alright, everyone." The madam waved from an open car door across the tarmac. "Let's go, or you'll all be walking a mile and a half by yourselves to The Hall." The black car was an exact replica of the one that had picked us up in New York, a shiny black Mercedes. I found myself wondering if they held stock in a specific car company.

"What's The Hall?" Evie asked, but her attention was on me, looking between me and Jason. Communicating with her the only way I knew how I raised my right shoulder in a half-shrug. She covered her mouth with her hand, but it was too late. I had already caught a glimpse of the smirk that played the corners of her lips. She raised her eyebrows once and climbed into the car. Thankfully, Jason seemed oblivious to the exchange.

"It's centuries-old..." I heard Anya say from inside the car as she followed Evie in.

"Come on. We don't want to miss our ride," Jason said, smiling down at me. He slid his hand in the crook of my elbow to steer me toward the car. The tingle that shot up my arm from his touch had me stunned. Jason's intake of breath was sharp, and it dawned on me that he had felt it too. The short walk to the car felt like the longest of my life with his lingering touch. I could feel wave after wave of electricity emanating from his fingers. His hand dropped when we reached the car, and I slid in before him.

The road the car swung onto had paddings of trees covering both sides. The overlay of forestry made it gloomier, and the silence of the car stretched on, almost as if the silence itself was holding its breath.

The shadows lifted as the car emerged from the grove and drove through a huge, sandstone archway. The passage housed an ordinate wrought iron gate that split up the middle. It opened away from the car with a deafening creek, and we pulled forward, up a slight incline, and rounded a grand fountain. The road followed the curve of the land and finished before the building.

"I'm sure you ladies will enjoy your stay here." Madame Anya's soft statement filled the space as she readied to exit the car.

Evie and I gaped out the windows in awe. The structure was three-stories high and crafted of the same gray bricks molded into the arch we just passed. The grand porch was framed by pillars and covered by a balcony that eclipsed the front of the building. Fresh, green ivy, intertwined in a series of complicated patterns, threatened to devour the whole structure. Windows upon windows lined the front of the school, in which only a few lights lit up the invading dusk from inside.