by Luna Pierce
Topaz-blue eyes radiate into mine, and a rapid flush courses through my body.
“Are you all right?” my victim asks.
“Am I okay? I knocked you down, I’m such an idiot.”
I stand there sort of dumbstruck at what just happened and quickly realize the time ticking by. Blue eyes glance from me to my rogue bag. He snatches the handle and places it in front of me.
“I’m great now.” He grins wide, one of those meets-the-eyes kind of smiles.
When I don’t say anything, he continues, “You haven’t checked in yet, have you?”
I shake my head, my cheeks flushing, knowing my first interaction at my fresh new start is an embarrassing one. At least the view is nice.
“I’m Cameron.” He extends his hand.
I attempt to wipe the rain off my own before meeting his. Warm fingers wrap their way around my palm and grip firmly but gently.
“Willow,” I manage to speak.
Cameron’s eyes beam. “What a beautiful name.”
Holding onto his hand a moment longer, I allow my gaze to fall over him, from his amber wisps of hair to his broad, but not-too-broad shoulders, down to his black-and-white sneakers.
In a flash, another form barrels into him, latching on to his shoulders and breaking our embrace.
“Dude, Cam, c’mon.” The intruder’s tone changes when he realizes I’m there. “Oops, totally did not mean to interrupt.”
“The headmaster’s office is right over there.” Cameron points behind me.
I glance in the direction to see the sign above the door.
“Thanks.”
“Yeah, no problem, Willow.”
My name rolls off his tongue like honey, mending my nerves and erasing the colossal headache I’ve had all day. He works better than the strongest pain reliever.
I make my way across the stunningly decorated foyer, stepping around the oversized comfy-looking loungers. Approaching the door to the headmaster’s office, a chipper fire-engine red-haired girl greets me.
“Hi there. First-year?”
“Uh—yes.” I nod.
“Name, please?”
“Willow Oliver.”
She looks from her clipboard and back to me. “Ahh, here we are. Oh gosh, forgive me, I forgot about the pleasantries. I’m Abigail Spencer, Headmaster Walker’s TA this year. Mr. Walker is running a bit late so I’m taking over for him until he gets here.”
She extends her hand, and I take it, my mind wandering to a few moments ago when those gorgeous blue eyes met mine, except this time I’m startled by a strange shock that forces its way into my hand and up my arm.
I pull my arm away in a rush. “Crap, sorry, I must have built up static. I do that all the time. I can barely walk through the house without shocking myself with everything I touch.”
Her expression changes slightly, and she returns to her bright and bubbly self. “No worries, Willow. Now, if you’ll fill out this entrance information. Make sure to note if you have any food allergies. Last semester we had an unexpected peanut allergy that sent a student to the hospital.”
I take the clipboard from her, and she motions for me to come into the office and sit. She pulls a rather strange-looking wand from her bag on the table and waves it through the air. The device beeps, and when I glance from the paperwork to her, she frowns for a fraction of a second.
“Wi-Fi issues,” she shrugs.
I make quick work of the last few questions, and after glancing over it, she hands me a slip of paper.
“You’ll be dorming in the south wing. Room SD four. There will be four to a room, but you’re the first one here for this room, so if you get up there quick, you can choose your bed.”
“South wing?” I try not to sound as pathetic as I feel.
She smiles warmly. “You’ll figure it out quickly. The school is shaped like an X. Each corner is either north, south, east, or west. Girls dorm in the west and south, boys in the north and east. Here.” She holds out a sheet of paper with a map on it and points behind her. “Go left out of the office and then take another left into the hallway. Immediately to your right will be a stairwell. Take that upstairs, and voila, you’re in south dorms. Yours will be the second door on your right.”
“Okay, yeah, that makes sense.” I grab the paper and eye it over. It should be simple enough. North, south, east, west. Upstairs and downstairs. Two lefts and a right. I can do this.
“There will be a small orientation at six fifteen, and you’ll report to East wing in the morning for your class list. The dining hall will begin serving at six thirty so you should have some time to settle in. Hmm, am I forgetting anything?” Without allowing me time to process or respond, she continues, “Nope, I think that’s it.”
She all but pushes me out of the room and starts in on her next student. Blindly looking at my map and glancing up briefly taking my first left, I run right into a person. Again. Like an idiot.
Words haven’t even made it out of my mouth and hands clamp down on both of my shoulders. “Are you okay?”
My gaze trails from the paper and up to my latest victim, piercing chestnut brown eyes this time, a drastic change from the startling blue earlier. Thick dark hair covering his brow, chiseled jawline. What the hell kind of school is this?
“Yeah, I’m fine, sorry. I need to watch where I’m walking.”
“Me, too.” He laughs. “Although, it looks like you’re hiding from someone.”
I squint and he points to his head.
“Your hood.”
Instinctually, my hand reaches up top. “Oh, right. No, it was raining when I came in. Not hiding from anyone.”
“I hate to cut this short, but I have to run. It was nice to bump into you…”
“Willow,” I blurt out the moment I realize he was alluding to my name.
“Willow, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Deghan.” He glances down to the slip in my hand and then points down the hallway to my left. “South dorm is that way, up the stairs around the corner.”
“Thanks,” I mutter.
He winks and takes off, grazing my shoulder on the way, and those all-too-familiar sparks appear. I brush it off without a second thought and head toward the stairs, hoping that I can make it the rest of the way to my dorm without bumping into another person. At least I’ve managed to embarrass myself in front of two of the hottest guys I’ve ever laid eyes on. Good job on not drawing attention to yourself, Will.
Chapter Three
I successfully make it to the south wing dorms with zero causalities. Abigail was correct in her assessment that none of my other dormmates had shown up yet, and the bed in the far back corner with the window nearby is a glorious perk of being on time.
The map she gave me shows that the entire girl dormitory—south and west—share a bathroom, as do the boys’ dorms on the north and east side. The girls and boys each have separate common areas and then a combined common area in the center of the upstairs.
Our dorm room has a sink and a decent-sized mini-fridge, along with four identical beds, dressers, and nightstands. For such a typically frowned-upon school, Harper doesn’t seem to cut corners on any of their supplies. Not to mention the building itself is elegant and absolutely incredible, the craftsmanship not faulting whatsoever.
I’ve put the fitted sheet and blanket onto my bed when a wave of exhaustion hits me. Allowing the nervousness of the last hour to take a breather, I lie back onto my twin-sized bed and process the events. Along with punctuality, I’m also great at being an overthinker.
My mind wanders immediately to my mom and whether or not she and Danny are okay. I fish the cell phone out of my pocket and click his name, the phone taking an annoyingly long time to connect. He finally answers, his voice coming in all scratchy, forcing me to get up from the bed and wander to the window in search of a better signal.
“Danny, are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. I hear you a bit better now. Your service isn’t that great
.”
“Must be this building.”
Silence.
“Danny?”
More silence. I move to the other side of the window.
“You there, Will?”
“Yeah. How are things going? Is Mom all right?”
Silence falls again, and I grow annoyed. I open the window and, despite my aversion to heights, I hang out a bit in an attempt to get better service.
“Danny?” I call out again.
“Mom is fine, and I’m great, thanks for asking.” Such a smartass.
“Good, that’s nice to hear.”
“You realize it’s only been like a half-hour, Wills?”
I sigh. “I know. This is hard on me, though. I feel selfish.”
He cuts out slightly, and then I make out, “You’ve been nothing but selfless your whole life, Wills. Cut yourself a break, okay? No kid should have had to take on the responsibilities you have. I’m telling you I have this covered. Please try not to worry, you’re going to ruin your time there.”
“It’s going to take some adjusting,” I murmur.
“I think that’s totally understandable.”
He continues to speak, but the signal cuts out again, compelling me to lean a bit farther out and reposition my hand somewhat. Just enough for my cell to slip out of it and smash onto the ground below.
“Shit,” I cuss under my breath.
“Better your phone than you,” a new voice declares.
I nearly fall off the ledge turning my focus to the unknown person.
“Didn’t mean to scare you.” She nods toward my bed. “I see you got the prime location.”
“Early bird gets the worm.” I smirk.
“Touché.” She winks. “Mind if I take that one?” She motions to the one directly across from mine along the window wall.
“No, not at all.” I look down at the hefty bags she carted in. “Do you need some help?”
“Ab-so-lutely.” She pauses and then adds, “You should probably see what you can salvage from your phone first.”
“Uh, with my luck, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a goner.”
She points to my head. “Listen, we just met, but you totally look like a serial killer.”
Having forgotten I still had it up, I yank my hood down and ruffle my matted hair.
My new roommate’s eyes widen. “Holy shit, your hair. Who do you go to? Someone around here? It’s flawless. Your roots aren’t even showing. Did you recently get it done?” She rapid-fires questions while she approaches, reaching out to touch my hair but stopping short, possibly grasping how intrusive that may be.
I let out a small sigh, knowing how typical this type of reaction is. Which is exactly why I wanted to dye it black, or anything other than this uncommon silver.
“It’s natural actually. I tried to color it a few days ago, but it didn’t stick.”
“Color it? Are you insane? People pay big bucks for this kind of thing.”
“That’s what I’m told.”
“Anyway, didn’t mean to get sidetracked and all up in your personal space. I’m Remi.”
“Willow.”
“Dope hair, sick name, and super nice? I think we’re going to be great friends.” Remi winks and carries one of her bags to her new living space. “Hurry back.”
Once I’m a few steps outside of our dorm, I realize I left the map behind and don’t know my way around the building yet. Instead of wasting more time and going back, I decide to wing it; sometimes, figuring things out the hard way is the most effective. It can’t be that difficult, though, can it? Go down the steps, hook a couple lefts until I can find my way outside. Easy-peasy.
I make my way down and toward the center of the building, taking note of the restrooms right next to the stairs, and turn into the dining hall which leads to gigantic floor-to-ceiling windows opening up to an outdoor patio area, making sure to avoid eye contact with everyone.
I clear the threshold to the patio and immediately go in the direction of what I’m hoping is below my dorm window. Luckily, the rain has stopped, but the grass is a bit sloshy under my solid-black Vans. Eyeballing the second story, I follow the trajectory of the window and find myself disappointed at the lack of cell phone on the ground. I take a few steps back, examining the building and locating my window again, Remi waving feverishly from our room.
If that’s our window, our room, and I dropped the phone here, why isn’t it where it should be? My gaze slides down the wall and onto the first-story window’s stone ledge. I walk closer and something shiny catches my eye. I gasp, recognizing my cell phone, sitting there—impossibly—unharmed.
What the…?
Upon inspection, I confirm that the phone is unscathed, and I have two unread texts. One from Danny, one from Brooke. Without reading either of them, I turn around, surveying my surroundings to see if I can uncover the mystery of my absolutely fine phone, which should be shattered or at least covered in mud.
Not many people are on the patio, and none of them seem to show the slightest interest in what I’m doing. I scan the rest of the patio until my gaze meets another. A piercing stare sends a shock through me. Frozen in place, I dare to take a step forward at the same time the group of people shift and obstruct my view of the unidentified person. In need of answers, I rush forward, only to be utterly confused when the cluster of people depart, leaving me wholly alone.
First my phone and now this guy vanishing in thin air? What the hell is with today?
The walk back to the dorm is one full of thinking, of trying to rationalize what the heck just happened. Somehow, I autopilot myself back without getting lost.
Once I’m inside, Remi looks up from her spot on the floor. “What’s the damage?”
I hold up my phone and respond, “Not a single scratch.”
She tilts her head, “How is that even possible?”
“My thought, too.” I didn’t want to tell her where it was sitting or the random guy who appeared and disappeared, out of concern that she would think I was crazy, but the look on her face means I feel exactly that.
“At least you don’t have to buy another one.” She shrugs. “Can you grab that bag?”
The next two hours are spent unpacking and arranging our space, and welcoming the last of our roommates, Lillian and Kyra, the former taking the bed next to mine and the latter taking the remaining space next to Remi.
It’s safe to say that Remi brought the most stuff. Her side of the room overflows with clothes, shoes, and beauty supplies—a drastic difference from my sparse items. Her auburn waves with the subtlest blonde ombre fall in all the right places, thanks to the two different curling wands and excessive bottles of hair product.
“We aren’t all as lucky as you, Willow,” she exclaims in response to my wide eyes at all of her stuff.
“I’m not judging,” I reply with my hands in the air. “I’m too lazy for all that and I prefer sleep over getting ready anytime.”
“Fair enough.”
First impressions seem to go over well, and the unsettling feeling of not knowing who I would be rooming with disappeared quickly upon meeting everyone. Somehow, I lucked out in the roomie department. Every single girl is uniquely nice and friendly.
Lillian is massively soft-spoken and packed about the same amount I did. Our side of the room is meager compared to Remi and Kyra’s. Lillian settled in swiftly, shoving the empty bags under her bed and pulling out a book. My kind of time, right there!
Kyra was the last to arrive, hauling in multiple bags, almost outdoing Remi’s entrance. Her thick, brown, tight curls bouncing onto her shoulders. Her light-brown skin turning red from the strap of her heavy bag. Kyra is stunning to say the least. All of my new buds are. And so are the random guys I—literally—ran into. Beauty aside, everyone is super pleasant, too.
What universe did I just step into?
Ten minutes prior to the start, we collectively make our way to our orientation. We exit our room, and a bright-eyed
blonde girl stops short of Remi and nearly bites her head off.
“Watch where you’re going,” the girl scolds.
Remi’s gaze swings from the girl to us and back. “Sorry?”
“You should be. Uh, you’re going to make me late. Get out of my way.”
The girl storms off, leaving us in a cloud of dust.
“That was… interesting,” Kyra adds.
“I guess we found the mean girl of the school,” I offer.
Rounding the corner on the main level, a large group takes their leave from the dining hall.
“Did we get the time right?” I ask.
“Yep,” Remi confirms. “Must have been second years or something.”
The people pass, and a loud buzzing weasels its way into my body. Head to toe thrumming, like a generator or something.
“Do you hear that?” I ask Remi.
She glances at me, confused. “Hear what?”
I shake my head. “Never mind.”
Something flashes in the corner of my vision, and despite managing to get hurried peek, I miss whatever it is. I do a complete 360 and catch a glimpse between tree branches of a vaguely familiar face right as they turn and rush up the north wing stairs.
I take notice of the insane floor-to-ceiling glass encasing an outdoor garden in the dead center of the building. How did I miss this at arrival?
Standing there awestruck, admiring the greenery growing in such a random place, Remi nudges me. “You okay? You look like you saw a ghost.”
“This is…”
“Insane?” she finishes my sentence.
“Yeah, that’s a good word for it.”
“Look up,” she orders, taking her index finger and lifting my chin toward the ceiling.
“Holy shit.”
The outdoor garden has a glass top, which is the floor to the second floor. Numerous people walk on the second floor, and I scan the faces. One meets mine and smiles back. Tall, dark, and handsome. Deghan.
“Is that hot guy waving at you?” Kyra asks.
“Umm, no, definitely not.” I motion toward the dining hall. “Are we ready?”