Chapter 1

STELLA There are no words to describe how I hate her! The audacity of Cassidy Quinn, my dearest aunt, has no boundaries! I am shocked she didn’t make it on Broadway! She is a much better actress than people actually give her credit for. I can vouch for the b***h. My poor mum believed her until the end, considering how she made her my legal guardian with access to all my funds until Iturn eighteen. Unbelievable. And now she expels me from my own house and sends me to that hole. A boarding school in the middle of nowhere. I’d have to spend the next year of my life there, while she pumps money out of my accounts. Damn it. The worst thing – she even pretends in front of me as if she cares. Like this is the best thing for me! Fuck you, Cassidy! “We almost arrived, Miss,” my driver says. We drive through a never-ending forest until finally reaching some very massive, metallic gates with the initials S.A. crafted in gold on both halves. Of course. She chose a perfect prison for me! “Whatever”, I mumble, looking out of the window. The place is creepy and could have been a setting for a horror film or something at one time. I see miles and miles of perfectly cut grass, bushes, and clean stone walks, all leading to a castle-like building. The “S.A.” logo engraved on the main door. Springwood Academy it is, then. Albert opens the door for me and I realize that I would literally give away anything to stay inside and go back home. “Miss”, Alfred is looking at me with pity in his eyes. It stings. He’s been in the family for as long as I can remember. If I make him drive me back, that b***h would fire him and send me back here anyway. No point to rebel now. “Alright,” I groan and get out when he suddenly gives me a hug. At first, I am stiff, but then I realize that there would be no more hugs for me in the future. From anyone. My parents are dead. I have no siblings. I am being deprived of my friends, and my only living relative is Cassidy… Damn, I am screwed. I embrace Alfie for a second, before pulling away, and quickly wipe a tear that formed in the corner of my eye. I am not going to break apart five seconds after I arrive at this place. I am just not! “Miss...”, Alfred gets my bags for me and I notice that his eyes are watery. Poor old chap. I am not worth it… “I am going to be fine,” I smile at him,- “I’ll be back in no time to my rightful place. Don’t worry too much” “I know that you will be fine”, Alfred admits, “But in case anything happens and you do not want to call your aunt… Well, you could always call me. Or James. Or any of us. You know that, right?” “Of course,” I nod and take my bags. I am not going to call. If I do and they help me, Cassidy would destroy them. I cannot do that to any of them. I am on my own now. “Miss Stella Quinn, I suppose?” I hear a female voice and turn to see a woman in her fifties with a girl in the academy uniform. They both look… perfect. Very polished. The woman wore a slim-fit black suit with a very narrow skirt. Her hair pulled back in a tight bun and her lipstick, a (deep, bright, crimson, velvet) red. Exactly how you would imagine a teacher from hell. The girl is a beauty with exceptionally shiny blonde hair, straight and sleek. She was wearing the school’s blazer with logo, a tartan skirt, which seems shorter than it’s supposed to be according to the uniform guide I've received, and grey knee-high socks. Her make-up perfect, as is her smile. Let me guess, the star of the school? “My name is Ellen Simons”, the lady says, “The headmistress of the Springwood Academy”. “Nice to meet you”, I squeeze a smile out of myself. “This is Maddison, our best student, and role model”, the headmistress introduces the girl with a proud voice, “She will give you a tour of the school and will tell you everything you need to know. Your bags will be taken to your room, you don’t need to worry about anything”. I wave Alfred goodbye and Maddison gestures me to follow her. She leads me into the building as I try to look at it one last time before we enter. It’s a huge mansion. Gothic. The windows are very tall and ornaments carved out of stone are all around them. Kind of cool, actually. I gasp when I notice a dark figure in one of the windows, looking at me. Well, there’s no one else here, so yeah, probably watching the new student. Still, it creeps me out and I turn away, following Maddison’s lead. The building is magnificent. Even I have to admit that. Huge halls and corridors with exceptionally high ceilings. The school’s emblem is everywhere… That black, red, and gold logo is even on their coffee cups. My previous school was fancy, but this is a whole new level. And when you speak, your voice freaking echoes. “Why is it so quiet here?” I finally asked my tour-guide after about half an hour of wandering the halls and corridors of the academy. The building is magnificent, but I still haven’t met a soul. “Tests”, Maddie (she asked me to call her that) says, “You arrived during test week”. “Lucky me”, I giggle and she smiles back, but somehow it doesn't feel genuine. “Yeah, usually it’s much louder”, she shakes her shoulders and swirls a lock of her hair. That’s probably her signature move as she does it automatically without even noticing. “So, tell me the interesting stuff now that we covered who built what and the curriculum,” I laugh and she smirks. We are so not going to be friends. “You’ll have to see it for yourself, Stella. Just like in every school, we have groups. And it’s hard to get into a group you do not belong to…” “Which group are you in?” I interrupted her on purpose; even though, I already know the answer. She’s the Queen B here. 100%. “Well, I belong with the top students in the school. In every sense of the word. We are at the top, academically, we are great at sports and we are popular,” she boasts and I nod in understanding. Not that I care, but you don’t want the Queen B as your enemy on your first day. We walk some more and she tells me who dates who and other silly stuff that I probably am not going to remember. “And you?” I ask her to boost her ego, “Do you date the best looking boy at the school or something?” “Almost,” Maddison blushes, “It’s a matter of time now. We’ve known each other since we were kids and we always knew that we are bound to end up as a couple.” Her smile is sincere this time and I can tell that this guy is not just a fling. Good for her. Although, if they have known each other since childhood and still nothings happened… But I, of course, wouldn’t tell her that. I am not suicidal. The bell rings and suddenly, doors start to open, the halls are filling with people fast. I hear a whistle here and there, and whispers. I guess they don’t have new students here too often. Maddie pulls my hand and tells a few guys to shut up when they call me “a yummy human.” Who even says that? I mean, really? We go upstairs and then down a long corridor, when we finally reach a massive wooden door with the number 45 on it. “And that would be your room.” Maddison opens the door for me and gestures to me to come in. I do and I am not impressed. The room is spacious but very … basic. Two wooden beds, two tables, one huge wardrobe, and a tremendous window with a built-in seat and a few cushions already on it. It is obvious that someone already lives in this room, as the right part of it is colorfully decorated. “How is it?” Maddie asks me. “It’s okay, do you by any chance know my room-mate?” “Yes, she is a bit of a loser, but since you transferred in the middle of a year you can’t really choose…”, she rolls her eyes apologetically. “I think I’ll be fine”, I smile politely. “Speaking of,” Maddison was leaving, when she stops and turned back to me, “You seem like a really great girl and all. And you can ask me any questions if you need to. But when you come for a meal in the dining hall, you need to know that you cannot sit with me”. Bummer. I was sooooo looking forward to that. I almost give out a laugh, but control myself. “No problem”, I force a smile. “Great then! I think you would be a great fit for the school! And I’ll see you at dinner.” She turns and walks away quickly, as if she was running from a fire. Not that I am going to miss her. I move to the window and try to open it. It’s old and rusty, but I manage to do as I desire and fresh air hits my face. One thing for sure – this place smells nice! I have felt it ever since I came here. A hint of sandalwood was everywhere I went. My room has a view of the football field and I see guys in the academy’s sports gear playing rugby. My, my. Maybe I am not that unlucky after all? I smile to myself and sit on the huge and comfortable windowsill to observe them for a bit. This school must have a very strong athletic program, as the bodies of the boys here are just beyond amazing. Kyle and Renee would so appreciate the view if they were here with me. I sigh as I know that I wouldn’t be able to see my best friends for a while. A slight chill goes down my spine. I feel like somebody is watching me all the time in this place. AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi, you have just encountered one of my earliest works. I grew a lot as a writer since then but this story still has a special place in my heart. It's a beginning of a great adventure as this is currently a series of three books :) The book is under editing by a professional and I expect it to be done by the end of June 2022, so that you could enjoy it without my typos lol. I have a group on sss - MARION ARTWOOD: DEN OF DRAGONS - where we discuss my books and have a lot of fun. Join us ;)