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I
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"You killed a boy, beat up two others, and almost killed a fourth."
"It was only a concussion for the last one."
The woman - a blonde haired outcast principle - stared at Aiyla from her desk. They stood in a large, expensively furnished room, with a variety of books and decorations.
"That kind of thing usually warrants an expulsion," cut in Bahadir - Ailya's older brother. "Which is why we've humbly turned to Nevermore Academy for a schooling place."
Principle Weebs raised her eyebrows, "We don't usually except students mid-semester. We've already had to accommodate one."
"Then you won't mind accommodating another," Aiyla mused.
"Excuse-"
"I'm from a reputable outcast family, I excel in my studies - with the best grades for a student my age, I play a variety of sports: including fencing and boxing, and I am a sharpshooter in archery, my knowledge of botany and poisons is extensive, I'm more intelligent than criminals and law enforcement and I sing," Aiyla listed, "I presume those are all the qualities you'd be looking for."
"You sing?" she repeated.
"Voice of a siren, mind of a killer," Bahadir added.
"The last part is what I'm worried about," Weebs snapped. She regarded the small, dark haired, dark eyed girl in front of her. "You'd have to room with two other girls instead of just one."
"I'll smother them with kindness," Aiyla mused.
In their sleep.
The woman sighed, "I'm going to regret this."
Aiyla and her brother exchanged a look, "We actually have one last request."
...
The moment the door to the room opened, Aiyla felt as if she was going to be split into two different worlds.
There was a line of duct tape going down the centre of the room, and the large, circular window leading to the balcony was half stained glass and half plain. One side of the room was full of enough colour, stuffed animals and drapes to make her nauseous, and the other side of the room was dark, plain and simple.
Two girls stood on opposite sides of the duct tape barrier. One was dressed in pastels, with short, shiny blonde hair that was dyed pink and blue at the ends. The other was pale and gloomy, she wore a long black dress and had her jet black hair braided in two plaits.
"Howdy, roomie," the blonde girl grinned.
Aiyla stayed silent.
"This is Enid Sinclair, and that - " Weebs gestured to the silent girl dressed in black " - is Wednesday Addams."
"Welcome to Ophelia Hall," Enid continued, she stepped forward and put her arms out for a hug.
Aiyla stepped back. The crow on her shoulder gave a squawk of distain.
"Not a hugger either," Enid turned to Wednesday, "You two will get along great."
Her eyes flickered to the Addam's girl, and Aiyla observed her for a moment. "Phiranas," she said.
"Throwing knife," Wednesday replied.
"She's right, the two of you seem like a perfect fit," Bahadir noted.
Weebs smiled fakely, "Wednesday, why don't you show Aiyla to the registrar's office to get her uniform and schedule. Give her a tour too."
Wednesday said nothing and left the room, beckoning for Aiyla to follow.
They descended the stairs in silence, with only the clicks of their heeled shoes to fill the air.
Suddenly, Wednesday spoke, "How did you get out of the family of that boy pressing charges?"
Aiyla smirked, "I can be very persuasive."
"Poison?" Wednesday guessed, and Aiyla nodded in response. "I'm assuming you know the history of this godforsaken penitentiary so I'm not going to relay the sanitized sales pitch."
"Of course."
They made their way into a hall, and Aiyla stopped by the trophy cabinet, eyeing a picture of a handsome boy holding an axe. "That's my crazy, axe-wielding, older brother. He went to school here ages ago. Managed to kill three people."
Wednesday nodded and threw open a pair of double doors, leading them into an ourdoor area full of people. "They call this the 'quad' but it's a pentagon."
"Idiots," Aiyla sighed. "Let me guess, vampires, werewolves, sirens, gorgons?"
"And a few others," Wednesday mused. They walked through the quad, making their way to the registrar's office
They passed a tall boy, with long brown hair, who painted a mural on the wall. Onyx - the crow on Aiyla's shoulder - gave a squawk, and she turned to look at the painting.
It was beautiful, with huge, fluffy clouds and a pristine blue sky. The focus of the painting, however, was a large crow, soaring in the air. It looked so lifelike that Aiyla felt as if she could put her hand into the picture and pull the elements out.
"That's Onyx."
"What?"
The boy, the artist, ran a hand through his hair and looked down at Aiyla in confusion. But his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the crow on her shoulder. Onyx took to the sky, fluttering her wings and flew off. When she passed the clouds, it was the exact image depicted in the painting.
Strange.
Aiyla crossed her arms, "Who are you?"
"Xavier Thorpe."
"An idiot," Wednesday interrupted.
Xavier rolled his eyes and walked a step closer to Aiyla and put his paint covered hand out for her to shake. "And you are?"
Aiyla sucked in a large intake of breath as she looked up at him. He really was tall.
The pitfalls of being 4ft 10.2''.
The 0.2'' was important.
"Aiyla Demir," she ignored his hand and turned walking away and flicking her braid over her shoulder as she and Wednesday left. "I'll see you around," she called over her shoulder.
"Stay away from him," Wednesday told her.
"Because he's hot?" Aiyla questioned.
"Because he's stupid," the pigtailed girl corrected.
If he can paint my bird without even seeing her, then there's more to him then it seems.
"What's your snap?" Aiyla asked.
"I find social media to be a meaningless void of soul-sucking affirmation," mused Wednesday.
"Social media is an easy tool for stalking," she revealed, "It's so much less hassle to track down your victims."
"I'll consider it," Wednesday said.
...
"You look gorgeous."
"I look like I'm in a Catholic prep school."
"Or an Islamic school."
Aiyla sighed and looked up at Bahadir. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her black blazer. Thankfully, Weebs had let her have the same uniform as Wednesday. The blue pinstriped uniform really gave off a clown effect.
"You better call me all the time," Bahadir demanded, "I want gossip."
"Only if I get my privacy," Aiyla replied, "You relinquish your ties to Onyx. No more spying on me."
He smirked, "Already done."
Aiyla nodded, and turned on her heel, ready to leave - but she turned back and threw herself into her older brother's arms. "If you die, I'm going to kill you, Abi."
Bahadir laughed and wrapped her in his arms tightly, "I'm going to miss you too, Bacı."
She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and stepped away from him. The two siblings shared a glance, a thousand words in that one look, and then she turned away for good, walked away and didn't look back.