Marked: Black Water Academy: Book One

by Murphy, Sloane

  “You made all these?”

  She blushes and nods. “I did, and I should probably be getting back to my dorm to get ready myself. I’m so glad you both found dresses you like.”

  “Thank you, but yes, go, get ready… Oh, wait… erm, totally random, but the zip…”

  She giggles, and tucks her hair behind her ears, displaying their points. “Yeah, I infused them with magic. The skirt will shorten if needed once you put shoes on too.”

  “Dude, that is some crazy talent.” I exclaim, genuinely impressed at this girl’s talent for mixing her Fae magic with her obvious design genius.

  “Thank you,” she blushes again. “I’ll see you guys later.”

  She clicks her fingers and the dress rail shrinks to the size of a toy, which she picks up and then she glides from the room. Ruby shuts the door after she leaves, then turns back to me, her long raven hair straightened and pulled to one side, and her makeup done delicately.

  “Let’s get your look finished, shall we?” she giggles and grabs my hand, pulling me back into my closet. She sits me on a stool she pulls from under a counter I hadn’t even noticed, and pulls on one of the drawers, displaying every piece and shade of makeup I could possibly ever need.

  “Aren’t these dorms just paradise? I have to say, you Dragons live in style. The Lions rooms aren’t anything like these! While it sucks to be separated from my house, I’m going to be sad to say goodbye to my dorm at the end of the year! Now sit and close your eyes. My older sisters spent many, many years showing me the wonders of blending and shading, and I think, just maybe, this is something you’re not so hot at.” I laugh and nod my head.

  “You could say that. Makeup wasn’t exactly high up on the survival to-do list that has been my life.” I close my eyes and try not to flinch when she sprays my face, or attacks it with this brush or that pencil.

  “Keep your eyes closed until I say so, okay?” I can hear the glee in her smile, so I agree and let her keep working. I feel her pin up my hair, leaving small tendrils down, tickling my neck. She then sprays me again in copious amounts of what smells like hairspray before she claps her hands and squeaks. I feel the stool spin and open my eyes to look at her. She’s turned me facing away from the mirror.

  “Now, prepare yourself, because you look freaking fabulous, but you do look hella different to when you sat down. I am so freaking proud of myself right now,” she laughs, putting her hands on my shoulders before spinning me around, and I blink slowly at the reflection looking back at me. She wasn’t kidding, because I don’t even recognize myself. My eyes are dark and smoky, and my lips are blood-red, both a stark contrast with my very pale skin. It’s almost as if my eyes are glowing in the dark frame she’s created. My hair is pinned up, with loose strands in strategic places, brushing against my shoulders but elongating my neck.

  She disappears into one of the other drawers and pulls out some black stilettos with a metal heel. “Deadly, but beautiful… Kinda like you.” She shrugs as she hands me the shoes. I sit and slip them on, doing up the buckle. I stand and watch as the skirt lengthens just slightly to skim the floor, but not be so dangerous that I’m going to trip… though in these shoes anything is possible. I wobble a little as I practice a few steps in the shoes, surprised they don’t pinch at my feet. Ruby giggles as I walk like Bambi on ice, before slipping on shoes of her own. Taking my hand, she helps me back to the living room. I’m about to sit when there’s another knock at the door.

  I roll my eyes and Ruby skips along the floor in her heels and opens the door to a suit clad Ethan, looking transformed. His shoulders look wider, his arms buffer, and his chin even more fucking chiseled if that’s even possible. His black-as-night suit, finished with a dark-gray shirt and blood-red tie make him look beautifully lethal, like the warrior he’s training to be. He smiles at Ruby, his face softening slightly as she hugs him,

  “Ruby, you look beautiful. You’ll make House Lion proud.” He turns to me, and his eyes flash and his jaw goes rigid again. He looks me over, his face unreadable, before he looks me straight in the eye.

  “Eden,” he nods, before turning back to Ruby. “Are you ladies ready to leave? The ball will be starting any minute. I’ve left poor Clara to make sure the rest of the new Lions get there okay.” He holds an arm out to Ruby, who takes it, and he takes off down the hall, while I grab a black lace purse I see left on the counter, and grab my keys, locking the door behind me as I trail slowly behind them.

  I follow them through the maze that is the Academy, and out of a door into the fresh night air, the breeze moving my skirt gently as I walk. The noise grows louder as we turn a corner onto a path, lit on each side by what look like glowing flowers. The beauty of it all stills me as I take it in. Small pods of flowers are scattered on each side of the path, surrounding the two fountains on each side. The music drifts softly on the breeze, entertaining alongside the trickle of water from the fountains. It’s like something from the stories my mother used to read when I was little; about princesses from the original families, and the princes who whisked them off their feet. I learned a long time ago that fairy tales don’t really exist, but being here, I could almost be made to think otherwise.

  I watch as Ethan and Ruby enter the banquet hall but hold back. Other students walk around me, looking at me and whispering as they pass, but I can’t seem to make my legs move forward. Fear rushes through me, and I can hear Dannika’s voice inside my head.

  “You are my daughter, that’s all they need to know. No-one can ever know the truth, Eden. Your life depends on it, and those around you too. I know it’s hard but try to keep people at arm’s length. It’s safer that way. You are stronger on your own. People will let you down and hold you back. Emotion is weakness, and that will be used against you if anyone ever finds out the truth.”

  The words swirl around me, and I swallow the rising lump. Keeping everyone at arm’s length in the group home was easy. Everyone was out for themselves, survival the main goal; but here… here I’m expected to make friends, to become part of the family. I tip my head back and look up at the pitch-black sky, resolving myself. I’ve looked forward to my Academy years ever since I entered the group home, but now I’m here, I realize this was a mistake. I should’ve just left the home and never come here. It isn’t safe. Not for me or anyone around me. I unclench my fists and spin on my heel to make my way back to my dorm, when I collide with a hard, warm chest. Hands reach out to steady me, and I look up into the swirling blue of Creed’s eyes.

  “Off so soon?” he says with a devilish smile.

  “I… I just…” I stutter, hating myself for it.

  “I don’t think so. If I have to go in there, then so do you. And I definitely need to show you off, pretty girl. You look exquisite.” He gently kisses my cheek, sending a spark down my spine, before spinning me round and looping my hand through his arm. My pale white hand against the dark fabric of his suit. It’s black as night, with a black shirt and black tie, and his dark floppy hair is slicked to the side, a stark contrast to the boy I met just a week ago. “We also look like we were made to enter together, and why should we deny the rest of them the delight of looking upon two who look so magnificent?”

  I can’t help but laugh at his audacity and bend to his will, that smile of his making my insides flutter. “Fine, you win. But I’m definitely not staying all night. If I manage to stay upright in these shoes, it will be a miracle.”

  How on earth he managed to talk me into this I’ll never know, but I step alongside him up the path and through the huge wooden doors of the banquet hall, to be met by a teacher taking coats and cloaks before ushering students up the stairway. Creed takes my hand gently. Tingles rush up my arm that I fight to ignore as he helps me up the stairs, looping my hand through his arm again once we reach the top, and join the line to enter the ball.

  “This seems like a hell of a lot of trouble, just to welcome new students.” I whisper to him, as I look at the others in the line, excited an
d giddy to enter the ball.

  “Well, all is never what it seems. Is this just a welcome to new students? A mixer so they might find the friends who will champion them through the next four years. Or is it more? A test? An observation of how people react in certain circumstances. I guess you’ll just have to enjoy yourself while you wait and see.” He smirks down at me, and I can still feel his warm breath on my ear. I shake away a shudder.

  “Right, because I’m definitely going to relax now.” I roll my eyes and stand a little taller, not wanting to let on just how much being this close to him seems to be affecting me.

  “Come now, Eden. What is the worst that could happen?” He pulls me forward, and I realize we’re now at the front of the line, a curtain between us and everyone else. The professor in front of us eyes us, shock filling his features at what I can only assume is a Dragon being escorted by the Scorpion House Captain, so I shrug it off.

  “Mr. Creed, I didn’t expect you to be here tonight.” The teacher says, looking at him suspiciously.

  “Oh, now then, Professor Longley, you know how much I love a good party. And with tonight’s guest, it would be remiss of me to not be here to represent as a House Captain.”

  “Hmm, right you are.” He pulls back the thick gold curtain and ushers us into the hall and I’m faced with more opulence than I think I’ve ever dreamed of seeing. The hall is huge, full of round tables. At the far end is a large and heaving dance floor. Along the left wall runs almost a full-length bar, with two other doors which I can only assume are bathrooms, and the entire right wall is glass, reaching up to the full glass ceiling, which glitters, awash with small string lights across the entire ceiling. I gasp at the beauty around me and Creed chuckles.

  “First ball, sweetheart?”

  “Firstly, never call me sweetheart. Secondly, yes. We’re not all princes of the world with riches and opulence part of our everyday la-di-da life.” I try to pull my hand from his arm, but he grasps it with his other hand.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” He leads me down the stairs and toward the bar. “It’s… refreshing to see someone who sees the beauty in all this, rather than just expecting this at all times. As I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, Black Water Academy is fitted for the money that is typically associated with the supernatural world. Very few come from backgrounds like yours. Since the Uprising, it’s not a case of the original families being treated like royalty and everyone else bowing to them. The Council ensure that the wealth is spread around; that everyone gets a piece of the pie as it were.”

  “The Council might be doing that for the people you know, but there are plenty who are still going without. My group home isn’t the only one in this territory, and they’re bursting full of kids, who just like me, lost their families. I can tell you the wealth isn’t being shared with them.”

  “You sound like you’re not a fan of the new ways.” He says, eyebrows raised.

  “You probably wouldn’t be if you’d had my life either.” I shrug. He signals to the girl behind the bar, who looks at him like she’s going to swallow him whole and really enjoy it. “What’ll it be, handsome?” she winks.

  “A scotch on the rocks for me. Top shelf, not the swill you’re serving typically, and for my friend,” he pauses to let me speak and I realize I have no idea what is expected of me here. Alcohol wasn’t exactly easy to obtain at the group home, so I never really bothered with it.

  “A French Martini, please.” I say, having no idea what it is, but it sounds good and makes her twist her face.

  “I’m sorry, what?” she snarls.

  “A French Martini, she said. Two parts vodka, one part cognac, one part raspberry liquor, a splash of pineapple juice, and topped with soda. I thought you were meant to be good at your job?” Creed chastises her, and she scurries away to make our drinks.

  “A French Martini, huh?” he smirks at me. “And you knew what that was, obviously?”

  “Obviously,” I roll my eyes at him, before taking a seat on the stool beside me. “I wouldn’t have ordered it otherwise.” There’s no way I’m going to let him know I heard someone else ordering it, and just went with it.

  “Funny, I didn’t have you down as a cocktail kinda girl. More of a beer and scotch girl.”

  “I guess you haven’t quite got me all worked out like you think.” I smile at him as a glass is placed in front of me, the dark red liquid threatening to spill over the sides. As I take a sip, the fruity flavor bursts on my tongue and doesn’t taste like alcohol at all. I smile in delight that I didn’t totally fuck up my drink choice.

  “Edennnnnnn!!” I turn from Creed to see Ruby dashing toward us, her face flushed. “Where did you go? I thought we’d lost you for the night! You should come dance; I found some other girls from the Lions who are just adorable. I’m sure you’ll love them. And this music is just EVERYTHING!”

  “Take a breath there, little Lion,” Creed chuckles behind his glass, and I can’t help my amusement as her eyes widen when she realizes who I’m sat with.

  “Oh... my... I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t realize… Eden, are you… friends with Mr. Creed? I didn’t mean to interrupt; I really am sorry.” She flinches as she realizes she’s rambling.

  “Ruby, callllm. This is just Creed. Or Gus to his friends,” I wink at her. “No, Mr. needed. Right, Creed?”

  “Wellll… I’ll never say no, but in this instance, I’ll allow it. Nice to meet you, Ruby.” He says, laying the charm on thick.

  “Oh,” she squeaks. “Nice to meet you too Mr., erm, sorry, Creed, I mean Gus, I mean... I’m just going to stick with Mr. Creed for now I think.” She takes in a deep breath before turning back to me. “So… you want to come and dance?”

  “Dancing isn’t exactly my strong suit,” I tell her, and her face falls. I hate the feeling in the pit of my stomach at her disappointment. I should not be getting attached here. “But, since you asked so nicely, why not? I can try one song, right?”

  Her face flickers before her beaming smile is back, and I hop down from the stall. Creed places his hand at my waist and pulls me close. “Save me a dance,” he breathes into my ear before letting me go. Ruby grabs my hand and pulls me along with her back to the dance floor.

  “What on earth are you doing with him? Don’t you know who he is? He is not a nice guy, Eden.” The frown on her face makes me look back at where Creed is sitting.

  “He’s my… friend? I arrived early, and he was one of the only people who was nice to me. Unlike your dashing Lion, Ethan Beaumont. He’s been nothing but rude.” I raise an eyebrow at her, she might have her own pre-judgments, but I think I’ve got a pretty good read on the Scorpion Captain.

  “He’s not anybody’s friend though, Eden. That’s what I’m trying to say. He just has minions that do his evil bidding. And Ethan is twice the man Creed is. He’s nice, and helpful, and strong. Proud. Loyal.”

  “So you like him?”

  “I do not!” she blushes. “I just think he would be a much better friend than Augustine Creed. He might be the most lusted after guy in the entire freaking Academy, but he’s not exactly ‘friends’ with people, let alone girls. Hell, Kane would be a better choice; at least he’s in your house.”

  “Maybe he is, but he’s not said more than two words to me. As for Ethan, let’s agree to disagree. I thought you wanted to dance and have fun, not judge my friendship choices.” I cross my arms across my chest, daring her to keep prodding. I don’t really know this girl, but she’s desperate to push her thoughts and judgments on me as if we’ve been friends our entire lives. And because I don’t know her, I don’t yet trust her. Which means I’ll make my own decisions, thank you.

  “Sorry,” she says, bowing her head. “I just don’t want you to get hurt. I heard last year he wooed a girl in his year, then dropped her and humiliated her so bad that she drowned herself in the lake.”

  “Look, I appreciate that, but I’m a big girl. I’ve seen bigger and worse than him out in the
real world, and as for rumors, it could be just that. Rumors. Now then, how about that dance?”

  She smiles tightly, before realizing she isn’t going to win this round and pulls me further onto the dance floor to the girls from her house she met earlier. They squeal when she re-joins them but look me over with curiosity.

  “So, you’re a Dragon? What makes you so special?” The black-haired girl next to me asks.

  “Evie, that is so freaking rude. Sorry, Eden.” Ruby chastises the girl and I shrug it off, and sway from side to side to the beat of the music. I wasn’t lying when I said dancing really wasn’t my thing. Especially on these stilts. I close my eyes and let the music wrap itself around me and lose myself in it, until I hear a cough behind me. I open my eyes and turn to find Ethan stood behind me.

  “Eden, nice to see you with some better company,” he chastises. “Lion girls will keep you true and steady, and on the right path here at the Academy. It’s one of the reasons we volunteered Ruby to take the room next to yours.”

  “What exactly is that meant to mean?” I place my hands on my hips and the crowd drowns us out, separating me from the others and pushing me to him. The music slows and he places his hands on mine, bringing them to his shoulders, before placing his on my hips, swaying gently with me.

  “It means, that hanging around with the Scorpions is no place for a Dragon girl. Only a select few end up in House Dragon, which means there’s more to you than maybe even you know yet. Scorpions are renowned for using those around them for their own gain. Using people all up, until there’s nothing left of them. I don’t want that for you. You seem… different.”

  “Well, thank you for the advice, but Creed has been the most welcoming person I’ve met here at Black Water, yourself included, Iceman. Maybe you underestimate me, and I’m using him?” I challenged.

  “No, I don’t think so.” He says softly as his thumb strokes my back gently as he pulls me closer, flush against his body. Leaning down, he murmurs, “I don’t think that’s who you are, but I’m looking forward to working you out, Dragon girl.”