by Olivia Quint
An Admission of Ambition
Chronicles of Chambrun Academy, Book One
Olivia Quint
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Contents
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Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
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About the Author
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Chapter One
Sophie
The fog continually forming on the inside of the limo’s window obscured my view on more than one occasion. No sooner would I rub it off with the hem of my jacket that it would soon reappear, just as I tried my best to take in the deep valleys we were crisscrossing at a leisurely speed. Even from a moving car, the misty view outside left me completely breathless.
The towering mountaintops, covered in pristine patches of the whitest snow, seemed to go on and on as far as the eye could see. Try as I might, I couldn’t bear to draw myself away from the window, not even when I was addressed by my ever-courteous driver.
“We’ll be there before you know it, Miss Miller,” he announced over his shoulder in the faintest Irish accent.
“Thanks, Reggie. I can’t wait!” I replied excitedly, still not taking my eyes off the rocky wonderland we were speeding through.
After so many years in our employ, I’d given up on trying to make him call me Sophie, like everyone else in my family did. Reggie seemed to love being formal, yet he always insisted I called him by his first name.
We made eye contact in the rear-view mirror for the briefest moment, and I caught a glimpse of his handsome smile. Realizing I’d been grinning ear to ear, my cheeks heated up slightly. Still, I did nothing to reign in my joy. After what had felt like ages, I felt good at last – no, fantastic even. I was finally taking control of my life, and I loved every second of it.
“You certainly seem excited…” Reggie couldn’t help noticing, that devilish smirk still present in the corner of his mouth. I simply nodded in response while meeting his gaze for another split second before turning back to the window.
“That’s understandable, new school and all that,” he pressed on while minding the lazily winding road. “I’m delighted to see you’re not the least bit nervous. I sure think I’d be, were I in your shoes!” Reggie chuckled earnestly.
The smile I’d been so prominently wearing faded imperceptibly before I picked it up again. The truth was, I’d spent the whole day practicing a way to bury my anxiety somewhere deep, and it seemed like my efforts paid off. But I could never lie to Reggie… He’s like family to me.
“Actually, Reggie, I’m more than a bit curious to meet my colleagues. You know I’m not one to socialize much… I really wonder what they’ll be like,” I confessed in a low voice. Without even looking at him again, I just knew he was wearing one of his warm, reassuring smiles.
“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean,” he nodded. “Chambrun is no joke, but if you don’t mind me saying, this might actually be the perfect time for you to reach out a bit. Make some new friends while you’re at it, you know?” Reggie glanced at the rear-view mirror again as he waited for my answer.
“You’re not wrong about that…” I sighed after a while. “Okay, I promise I’ll do my best!”
“That’s the spirit, Miss Miller!” Reggie couldn’t help but laugh. “No matter what happens, I’m certain your next few years here are going to be nothing but memorable.”
“Thanks, Reggie… You always know how to make me feel better,” I smiled right back at him.
He was entirely right, of course. Somehow, though, I still couldn’t believe I’d actually managed to get accepted to Académie de Chambrun. Even repeating it to myself made it sound… surreal.
To me, Chambrun was everything I could’ve ever hoped for in a college. It was one of France's most prestigious institutions, located high up in the dazzling French Pyrenees. Traversing the mountain range as we made our way south from Toulouse, it was impossible to imagine any other place I’d rather go to college in.
“The Academy is just past here,” Reggie announced as we crested a hill overlooking the small town bearing the same name.
The charming multitude of neatly clustered wooden buildings looked like something straight out of a postcard. As we drove up the main street, though, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Chambrun had all of the modern accouterments I enjoyed back home. I couldn’t help taking in the many fancy restaurants offering everything from traditional French cuisine to the most exotic Asian fusions. Stylish coffee shops dotted almost every street corner, while the multitude of mesmerizing shop windows made me realize that Chambrun was very much a town catering toward the Academy’s extremely affluent students.
However, the things I was happiest to see were the tall cell towers looming far out into the distance. I quickly fished out my phone to peek at the signal bars. Sure enough, my lock screen happily reported perfect service. It wasn’t like I’d be calling anyone just yet, but it felt nice having the option at my fingertips.
Reggie and I soon drove past the town and continued our journey up the densely forested mountainside. A deep silence suddenly enveloped the car on all sides, but it didn’t bring me any feeling of fear or loneliness. Instead, I was met with a sense of soothing calm I’d seldom experienced before.
“This place must have such a rich history…” Reggie mused after a few more moments of silence. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy uncovering it all, Miss Miller!”
I felt a warm feeling blooming in my chest as he said that. Reggie must have remembered I’d be studying Ancient History there, even though I’d only mentioned it to him in passing only once before.
“You remembered?!” I asked incredulously. “How is that even possible?”
“Oh, maybe it’s the fact that when you got your acceptance letter, you shrieked louder than a banshee? Gave me a right fright, it did!” he teased.
“Come on, I was over the moon. Give me a break!” I protested but laughed alongside him all the same. To be frank, I’ve always loved history. I couldn’t think of a better place to study all about mankind’s daring beginnings, perilous travails, and glorious victories than at one of the oldest colleges in France. Chambrun is going to be my perfect stepping stone to much greater things...
“Jokes aside, you’re always on the lookout for a good story from the past, Miss Miller. I know that much!” Reggie countered after he caught his breath.
“And you always have the best of those,” I replied to him with a smile.
As more and more tall evergreens sped past my window, a lump suddenly started forming in my throat. The nervousness I thought I’d gotten over came back to wash over me like the tide.
“What do you think the people here will be like?” I asked Reggie, draw
ing closer to his seat. There was no way he could possibly know that, of course, but I was confident whatever his answer would be, it would make me feel better about everything.
“I hope you won’t mind me saying this, but why does that even matter?” he replied after a moment’s thought. “You’re only 19, Miss Miller, and the other students will be people just like you – young, adventurous, and with their entire lives ahead of them. I’m positive you’ll have a fantastic time together!”
“Thanks, Reggie… I guess I am a bit worried about you, actually,” I offered with a sigh.
“What’s this then?” he asked. “Why would you ever be worried about me of all people?”
“I’m just wondering what you’ll be doing without me from now on,” I explained. “Who will you be telling all of your stories to, hmmm?”
“Yes, well… I guess it will be a bit lonely at the house without you there, Miss,” Reggie admitted reluctantly.
“See? You’re missing me already!” I grinned at him from behind the driver’s seat.
“Maybe I am…” he chuckled at my delight. “Buuut, I’ll also be eagerly awaiting to pick you up at the end of term. Having said that, I do believe we have arrived!”
Upon hearing those magic words, I quickly leaned forward between the front seats. It was impossible to miss the school’s colossal stone arch, almost beckoning us to go through. I just had to read the imposing lettering out loud.
“Académie de Chambrun!”
There was something else on the archway that I couldn’t quite make out before we sped past the entrance. I turned back to Reggie with a beaming smile, and he only mirrored my excitement with his own toothy grin.
“This is it!” he nodded, drawing my attention to the large clearing coming into sight just up ahead.
Chapter Two
Zayn
“Damn, she’s so fine, Zayn!”
I subtly peeked in the direction Eric was impatiently gesturing toward with his eyes. Among the veritable tide of first-years swarming below us, one in particular easily stood out from the rest. That must have definitely been the girl he was ogling.
“Wait… You mean Marceline?” I asked, turning my gaze back to him.
“Hell yeah, Marceline!” he answered in a vexed tone. “Just look at her, man, she’s such a goddess. That flowing black hair, gorgeously shaped body… I’d do anything to get my hands on those curves of hers.”
I slowly lifted an eyebrow, then spared another glance her way. The expansive stone balcony overlooking the central courtyard gave us the perfect vantage point for scouting what we liked calling “fresh talent”. I guess I can see the appeal, but I’ve honestly seen – and had – much better before.
“Yeah, I do get what you mean,” I played along. “Marceline’s pretty enough, I guess.”
“You guess?!” Eric shot me a look of utter incredulity. “Look, man, I know you’re Mr. Popular and everything, but do you really think you’ll always get any girl you wanted?”
I rolled my eyes as I pushed myself away from the marble banister, then motioned Eric toward the steps descending to the Academy’s library.
“I’ve never had any problem with that sort of thing, my friend,” I replied with a roguish wink.
“If only you weren’t so full of yourself...” Eric scoffed behind me.
I might have taken offense at that if it hadn’t been my closest friend saying it. Even though Eric was a year younger than me, we’d formed a strong bond during our time at Chambrun, and I honestly felt we’d become almost like brothers. And in more than one way, I guess that’s entirely true.
Eric and I were both part of the Academy’s famous tennis team. I was captain, and he was my right-hand man. Out of all of our peers, Eric was the only one who could go toe to toe with me on the court. Heck, he’s also the only one who could ever come close to beating me, but I’m never going to admit that to him…
“I guess I’d be full of myself too if I looked like you,” Eric continued unabated, drawing a hearty laugh from me before I could stop myself. By then, we were well past the library entrance, and angry looks were immediately shot in our direction. Still, they quickly disappeared behind the stacked bookcases when their owners realized the ruckus had been caused by me.
“Look, can we just sit down for a moment?” I asked Eric in a hushed tone. My voice had gone down to almost a whisper, and he simply nodded in response.
Like most buildings within the Chambrun grounds, the library was positively gargantuan. There were already considerable numbers of students inside, but since I could barely recognize any of them, I assumed they must have been the freshmen who’d started streaming in earlier that week. They’re always the first to scout out the library – it’s almost a tradition after their orientation. As soon as they were brainwashed with the glorious future Chambrun had to offer them if they put in the work, they would all rush to browse their recommended reading. I simply chuckled at the thought, knowing that most of them would give up their fervent zeal by the end of their first term, when they got their first exam results.
Deftly maneuvering through the schools of first-years flitting to and fro, Eric and I made our way to an empty table in a secluded corner of the library’s ground floor. We’d barely even sat down when his usual good-humored smile started melting off his face.
“No, you’ve got to be kidding me…” Eric whispered, looking somewhere over my left shoulder.
“Huh, what is it?” I asked, genuinely surprised. Slowly turning my head around, I spotted an entire pack of girls shily making their way toward us. “Hey, maybe they’re coming over here for you?” I mused out loud, turning back to him with an honest grin.
“Not bloody likely…” my friend mumbled to himself while regaining a seemingly indifferent composure.
Eric always moaned about my success with the opposite sex, but it wasn’t like he was terrible looking or anything. He just never gave himself enough credit, and so neither did anyone else, especially the hot girls he always admired from afar. To tell you the truth, Eric is probably one of the most handsome guys in his year, but then again, I’m always right there next to him, so… I often wondered how he’d never come to resent me for always stealing his thunder.
“Hey…” a noticeably nervous voice said behind me. With an almost theatrical air of self-importance, I fully turned around again to meet the glamor of girls displayed right in front of me.
“Why, hello there!” I answered politely, looking them all dead in the eye as I did so. To my glee, none of them could hold my gaze longer than a microsecond. “Is there something my friend Eric and I can help you with today?”
“As a matter of fact, there is,” the same girl spoke up again, trying to mask the trembling in her voice. The rest of her pack helplessly gathered behind her as if her lithe frame could hide them from my omnipresent gaze. “You’re Zayn, right?”
That’s just an ice breaker – she definitely knows who I am. The girl was undoubtedly cute, though, with bright red hair and smoldering dark eyes. She stood a bit taller than her peers, but not so much that I wouldn’t tower over her if I decided to stand. My practiced eyes scanned her entire frame in a heartbeat, stopping the briefest of moments over her deliciously full breasts. Only because they seem to be having a hard time staying put in your oh-so-unintentionally unbuttoned shirt, my dear.
“The one and only Zayn…” Eric said in a barely audible whisper. I could just about feel him rolling his eyes on the back of my neck.
“We heard you were giving tours of the Academy to us first-years…”
“Oh, really?” I asked incredulously before reigning in my surprise. “That’s not something I was aware of. Surely, you must be mistaken…”
Eric suddenly burst into a machiavellian chuckle to my right, and I just had to turn around to him.
“Actually, our new friend here couldn’t be more right,” he explained after savoring the confusion on my face. “I personally signed you up to chaperone fres
hmen this year!”
“You did what?!” I quietly sneered at him with a searing glare only he could see.
Eric waved away my chagrin like it was nothing and instead switched his attention back to the girls, grinning with a satisfaction I’d never seen on him before. “I’m really sorry, ladies, but Zayn here will only be giving tours to those of you who missed out on orientation.”
Sudden looks of deep disappointment formed on the girls’ faces, and one by one, they started streaming away from our table. Only the one who’d dared speak up to me remained stoically behind.
“I’m Marie, by the way…” she managed, timidly extending her hand after swallowing the lump in her throat. Some hints of nervousness still made their way into her voice, but there she stood adamantly in front of me, as composed as she could make herself just then. I admire your sheer courage more than you will ever know, dear Marie.
“You know who I am already, and it’s my pleasure meeting you, Marie,” I replied earnestly. Taking her hand in mine, I gently pulled her a little closer to where I sat. She offered me no resistance whatsoever.
“So, there’s no chance for me to get a personal tour, then?” she insisted, continuing to hope against hope.
“Hmmm, on second thought, I think we might be able to do something about that after all...” I mused, pausing for dramatic effect. “Look, why don’t you come around Courtenay Estate later today, and I’ll find a way to give you the best introduction to Chambrun yet!”
A wide grin bloomed on her face as she nodded a bit too eagerly. Marie then promptly turned around on her heels and started walking away. Not two seconds later, she stopped to give us a little embarrassed wave before almost breaking into a dash when she realized her cheeks had suddenly caught fire.