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I was sweating by the time a giant castle came into view.
Which was the only way to describe it, and my legs shook with the thought of climbing up that massive hill.
Rustling leaves made me freeze mid-step, an anxious feeling that further made my eyesight focus deeper into the trees. A flash of silver sped through thick shrubbery. Moments later it was like nothing happened, too fast to even process.
I turned around while saying a big fat nope in my head. "Okay, new plan, forget the luggage and sprint to the castle."
Just wait until I get my hands on Connie's slender neck, I'll wring it—
"Do you always talk to yourself?"
A voice from behind made me jump, causing my grip to falter and for one of the bags to drop on a foot.
"Freaking hell." I turned around with a wince.
Two students, who looked way better in the uniform than I did, gazed at my pitiful form with contrasting expressions. The girl who spoke had a curious look, while her male counterpart sported an impatient grimace.
The guy stared at my fallen luggage. "Girls always pack too much."
He was shushed with a small hand waving in front of his face, annoyance masking the other's joyful nature from earlier. "I'm Morwen, and the one without a filter is my brother Gabriel."
Her voice was so pleasant that I almost forgot my manners.
"Nova." I smiled, all while giving a snide glance to her sibling. "It's nice to meet you."
"Don't associate yourself with her, Morwen." He gave me a withering look in return. "We're going to be late for the opening ceremony."
Gabriel grabbed Morwen's arm and brushed passed, briefly looking down with a hostile expression.
Jeez, who pissed in his cereal this morning?
The small girl gave an apologetic look as she was dragged away, her brother chastising his sister about the dangers of strange women who talk to themselves. A sense of bitter loneliness dampened my mood as I looked upon the siblings, how the sister argued back and threatened her brother to behave and cease being overprotective.
Maverick on the other hand would have probably tied me to a nearby tree, laughing at my loss.
Maybe set the tree on fire.
Ah, homicidal brothers.
Before brooding further in the foreign woods, I set forth with renewed determination.
I'll find answers in this dusty old academy, and I won't let anyone get in my way.
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I was about to throw a rock at Connie's head when I entered the entrance hall and came across him laughing with a group of people. It was the perfect angle too, his head tilted back and his mouth wide open—a perfect target for large projectiles to sail and break his straight teeth.
But I wasn't petty, so I just forced out a smile and threw his baggage into a nearby fountain.
I gently placed my own bag beside me and gave it an encouraging pat, clapping hands back and forth to get rid of any imaginary dirt. A couple students gave concerned looks as they watched me throw, what they assumed, was half my luggage into the water.
Light rays filtered through the high glass ceiling, causing a shimmer to appear on the statue situated nicely in the middle of an ornate fountain, displaying a beautiful lady frozen in a dance as water dribbled out of her hands.
I could feel the corner of my lips quirk upwards, enjoying the brief appearance of beauty.
It was probably the most honest expression I've had in awhile.
One couldn't deny that it was a gorgeous structure, this whole place oozed old money—something I was wholly familiar with a long time ago, before unfortunate circumstances. A sudden feeling of despair struck, only for it to be quickly smothered as I remembered my anger from earlier.
No time for crying, Novalie. I held my chin up. You've already done plenty of that, it's time to finally be productive.
"Nova!"
I turned as Morwen merrily trotted over, her brother unwillingly trailing from behind.
She looked at the water and gasped. "How did that end up in there?"
Before explaining that I couldn't care less about the item, she raised her hands and waved them in the air. It was like some form of water bending, liquid carefully bringing the object softly to the fountain's edge.
"Morwen," Gabriel hissed while looking frantically around us. "You can't just use your abilities outside of classes!"
"Break a couple rules every now and then, Gabriel."
"More like break our already bad reputation!"
I watched as Morwen's twin looked close to having a stroke, yet all she did was turn her attention back towards me with a sinister grin. "I love making him panic."
My first impressions on the sweet girl changed as I watched her teasingly lift water in and out of the fountain with a wrist flick.
"Stop it." Gabriel tried whacking away the liquid as he reprimanded his impish sister.
"What are you?" I asked somewhat rudely, my curiosity-killed-the-cat attitude coming up as I watched this magic.
I didn't know if my voice wavered from excitement or uncertainty.
Morwen paused her ministrations as my question interrupted the two students. She glanced at her sibling, who was furiously shaking his head to keep quite.
"I'm a capricornus, and Gabriel is a kelpie."
"Don't just tell strangers our spirits!" Gabriel looked horrified as Morwen merely shrugged her shoulders.
I lifted a curious brow. "Capricornus, like... Capricorn?"
"Yeah," Morwen laughed. "My spirit is a goat with a fish tail, but my actual horoscope is Gemini."
"I'm a Sagittarius," I provided.
"And I'm annoyed," Gabriel interrupted.
My attention turned to him. "You're a kelpie, like the Australian sheepdog?"
"No." The male snapped impatiently, his anger seeming to reveal a hidden Scottish accent, one that I assumed his sister also had underneath. "Like the mythical water horse."
I smirked as he realized his mistake in confirming my question, before subtlety kicking Connie's luggage back into the water. I gave a jovial slap to Gabriel's back, ignoring the strangled noise he made and looping my arms through theirs.
"We're going to get along." I steered them away from the fountain with a grin.
Morwen chuckled as she watched her brother attempt to leave my firm grasp. They wore the same coloured ties, a smoky grey which I pointed out.
Morwen seemed surprised by my question. "Oh, do you know about the three different sections of the school: Light, Neutral, and Dark?"
Faisal's words wormed their way inside my cluttered head, his deep voice explaining how students are sorted into sections to make the school board's jobs easier.
I glanced at Morwen and Gabriel's tie once more, and then at my own missing clothing article.
"Yeah." I simply stated—assuming Light ties were white, Neutral were grey, and Dark were black.
"Just watch out for those wearing black ties, what they lack in numbers they gain by ruthlessness." Gabriel's strong voice made me look up, his face turning sour as he mentioned the Dark students. "Especially with their idolized representative."
Morwen made a noise of agreement. "Not all of them are bad—they're unpredictable, so stay cautious."
It was then that the three of us realized we were alone; Morwen and Gabriel simultaneously looking down at my hands before staring at me.
It's freaky how they did it in perfect synchronization.
"You should have already found the temporary storage room and dropped your bags off by now." Gabriel rubbed his chin in thought. "You won't be able to place them down in your actual dorm until you're tested."
"I think we can still make it to the temp room," Morwen suggested, only for her brother to scoff and say that there wasn't any time.
I shrugged. "Why don't you guys head to the ceremony and just point me in the general direction of storage?"
The two students pondered.
Morwen looked like she was about to offer her assistance, until Gabriel wrapped his arm around her and lead them away. She quickly pointed down a hall to our left before they turned a corner.
I rubbed palms together.
Alright, time to get lost.
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Contrary to popular belief, I didn't get lost.
I did however, miss the opening ceremony.
It was by pure chance that I stumbled upon Gabriel leaving the massive hall. My panicked face probably made him feel pity and point to a group of students heading down the opposite direction, explaining that they were on their way to get tested.
I wasn't sure where this sudden burst of compassion came from, but I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
It also made me realize that the siblings were probably a year above me to have already gotten their sorted ties.
The group wasn't that far ahead, and luckily I caught up fairly quickly. I did a quick scan of the students and saw that Connie was amongst the crowd. So without hesitating, I rushed behind him and kicked the back of his knee, causing him to stumble and stop his conversation with two girls.
Three sets of eyes glared, Connie's being the most intense as I dragged him away. "I thought you attended this school before."
"Yes, as an instructor, you imbecile." He escaped my hold, brushing off his sleeves as if I dirtied it somehow. "I was never actually sorted with the students—now, can we just pretend that we don't know each other?"
"You're supposed to have my back!" I whispered anxiously. "Uncoverimg a mysterious target takes teamwork, how can I do that without knowing anything?"
"I can orchestrate from a distance." Connie sneered as he went back to the two girls looking back at us.
He said something to make them laugh and drive their attention away from me.
I'm going to place a hex on him.
I stopped midstep and realized my actions from earlier.
An evil smirk broke on my face as I pictured his luggage floating in water, clothes that are most definitely soaked. Students passed by with weary faces as they watched me giggle quietly. I composed myself when the crowd stopped suddenly; with a young professor leading the group.
"Behind these closed doors is where you will be tested. Everything done beyond this point stays in that room; no one will discuss what occurred and will be severely punished if done so."
I didn't sign up for this.
"As you all know, there are three possible places to be divided into: Light, Neutral, or Dark. After testing a tie will be provided, and you will be lead to your section's personal dormitories." The professor paused with a flourish of her arm, opening the large doors and allowing students to file in. "Without further delay, enter and don't hold back!"
It was then that the woman added more.
"You will be asked to hand over any electronics, as devices of such nature are prohibited in this academy."
An outcry of disbelief erupted as students complained, unwillingly giving up their phones.
I saw one girl crying as she let hers go.
Sure, my phone was a piece of shit, but it was my piece of shit phone.
I stopped right before the threshold, ignoring the professor as she gave a critical look. "What's the matter, hon?"
She did not just call me 'hon'.
"Uh, I just remembered needing to use the restroom." I gave her an innocent grin, slinking around and sliding against the wall.
It was then that I felt an invisible force stopping all movements.
"Who may you be?" Her silky voice was leveled calmly, leaving a sense of ensnarement as I tried lifting legs that just wouldn't budge. She stood regally, sangria robes wrapped over an elegant frame, smiling sadistically at my struggling form like a spider playing with its dinner.
"Novalie Bishop," I grunted out.
Their was a brief look of disbelief as she heard my last name, before it was hidden with her rouge painted lips grinning wickedly. "Miss Bishop, it would be in best interests not to start off your first day in detention."
I snorted, completely ignoring the dirty look on her face as it left.
Before she could reprimand further, footsteps were heard coming from around the corner. A voice murmured sinfully close from behind us, like velvet draped over smoke.
"Professor Delarosa, I was asked to retrieve you."
With that one sentence I pictured his tongue like a rough match, the course surface starting fires and burning everything in its path with no remorse. Something inside of me suddenly called out, desperately trying to find a way towards him. There was frustration as my body still refused to budge, unable to turn around and face this creature with dignity.
What spirit did this woman have?
"Mister Mishal, it's always a pleasure to see you up and about!" The woman gushed over my shoulder, doing a complete change to her snarky attitude from earlier. "This academy is lucky to have such a dedicated young man."
The deep voice let out a chuckle. "You honestly give me too much praise, professor."
I was about to let out a sarcastic quip, until my muscles went unhinged and released itself from their previous position. All momentum was defeated by gravity, and this further caused me to fall forward, landing in an ungraceful slump on the cold marble floor.
"Run along, Miss Bishop." There was a laugh as she went past to address the alluring voice. "Before you miss the sorting and end up without a section."
I raised a hand without glancing up. "Honestly, I'm fine with lying on the ground all day and doing nothing."
"Hon, get up before the testing ends." Delarosa's polite voice was strained with a sharp undertone.
A sigh left as I got up, trying not to smirk as the whole ordeal distracted her from taking away my cellphone.
It was before entering the room when I finally saw him, a tall student gazing down with handsome features, politely ushering the chatty woman to head wherever she was needed. I observed the strong build on him and noticed a black tie sitting proudly on his broad chest, uniform immaculate and not one single piece out of place.
I thought Morwen and Gabriel looked good in their uniform.
This guy—man, oh man.
I quickly glanced down at my wrinkled shirt, shrugging as I calculated the time it would take to iron and maintain such a thing.
Nobody's got time for ironing.
The young man had a courteous smile plastered on his face when he turned to glance, yet when eye contact was made, it suddenly became pinched. No sooner, a calculating look appeared as he watched my disheveled form march towards the door.
I mean, it wasn't the worst first impression I've made on someone.
There was this one time when our public school went on a trip, some typical one that brought us to a nice museum. The one exhibit that caught my attention was one on ceramic pots of all things.
Long story short, I stuck my hand in one of vases and couldn't get it out for the entire tour. The problem began when some cute boy went over and introduced himself. He cutely went for a handshake, before I completely forgot about my current predicament, unintentionally smashing the pot over his fingers and breaking them.
I've always been smooth with the opposite sex.
This situation was ten times worse, merely by fact that the museum boy couldn't light a candle next to this ungodly specimen.
The mysterious student wasn't even judging my embarrassing retreat, more so trying to pinpoint something about me that went beyond physical.
If he keeps staring at me so intensely I'm going to blush like a period drama damsel.
His eyes were the deepest shade of amber, a flickering beacon that promised an inferno of heat. I didn't lose breath, instead it was like my lungs were filled with too much air, a compressed feeling that needed to be released.
Smother those hormones, Novalie!
Before I could question the odd feeling of connection, a large oak door shut in front of me and nearly broke my nose.
"One more student—come in, you're just in time!" An older gentleman beckoned kindly, smiling at my rattled appearance and probably thinking the testing was what made me appear close to combustion.
I paused as recognition finally hit me.
The student in Faisal's file, with eyes I couldn't look away from.
Now that I've seen them in the flesh, nothing else compared.
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Hayden Christensen as Gabriel Brook
Gabriel's Theme
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Emily Browning as Morwen Brook
Morwen's Theme