Epacia Academy: Year One (Epacia Academy #1)

Chapter 2

        I opened my eyes to darkness, an unfamiliar room surrounding me. My wet clothes replaced with silky pajamas, plush blankets and pillows radiate warmth around me. I blink slowly, my eyes adjusting to the darkness while I try to remember what had happened to have possibly gotten me here.

        The creatures.

        The freezing water.

        The emerald eyes.

        Panicking, my body flies out of the comfort of the bed and onto the hard wooden floor. Stars dance in my vision while I attempt to get back on my feet, mumbling curse words to myself. Panic seizes my chest as a figure steps away from a chair in the corner of the room, I realize there's a few torches along the walls which he lights as he makes his way toward me, "Your brother is fine," a deep, husky voice drawls "You're at the Academy."

        "Who are you? What's the Academy? Where are we?" My hands tremble as they questions tumble out of my mouth, my brain a flurry of confusion.

        The man— boy? Whoever he is, cuts me off before I can ask any more questions. He turns to me and my heart flutters, my eyes widening in recognition as those same emerald eyes watch me in amusement, a smirk on his lips, " Your questions will be answered soon, all you need to know at this moment, Lillian is that you're safe and so is your brother."

        "You know my name?"

        "Of course I know your name, and your brother's name. Your mother was one of the most powerful fae to ever live, along with the other 3 rulers of Epacia."

        The words "Fae" and "my mother" echoes through my ears, shock taking hold of my body as I stare, jaw slack, and the... Fae standing in front of me. "Fae? You mean like, real Fae? My mother was Fae? What the hell are you talking about?" My voice trembles more as each question comes out of my mouth.

        I shake my head, clearing my mind of all the jumble within it. Finally, I focus on the boy in front of me. His hair, the colour of a crows' wing was pushed back in an 'I just got out of bed but my hair is still perfect' kind of way. He was beautiful, in an ethereal kind of way. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest as I watched him, the sly smirk dancing on his lips. I once again shake my head, the motion knocking me out of my trance. It must be a side effect of almost drowning, I'm still dreaming! I probably haven't woken up yet. That's it, he can't be real, none of this can be real. Faeries aren't real. My mother was just crazy.

        I feel a sharp pain in my arm and look over to see the boy, hand outstretched, "You're not dreaming, Lillian. This is real."

        "Did you just pinch me?" I exclaim, annoyance coating my words, "Why the hell did you do that?"

        "You thought you were dreaming," he replied, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, the mischievous look plastered on his face once again.

        My mouth twists in exasperation and I sigh, tugging at my hair nervously as I pace back and forth on the cold floor. My thoughts become a hurricane, twisting and pulling me every which way. My breathing feels labored, heart pumping wildly as I try to calm myself once again. I feel the walls closing in on me again, feeling how it did in the cave except this time, it was in my mind. My chest heaves, trying to force air in my lungs as the panic increases until it feels like i'm about to explode. My hands clench as I hold them against my chest, all these explainable things around me overwhelmingly confusing. The panic seizing me grows and grows until it just... stops. A wave of calm washes over me like a mug of hot chocolate on a cold day, the calm caressing me gently. I look over to the boy, a dim light pulsating from his hands as he kneels beside me, a look one could almost decipher as concern flashes in his eyes before the arrogant smirk appears once again. He backs away a bit and the light dims a bit, but the calm feeling stays.