She thought she’d missed it, dang him. But she couldn’t deny it, now more than ever, she knew. Until or unless something drastic happened to change her mind, she was going to see this through to the end. Her future depended on it. Plus, she wanted this. Whatever it was that Leonard was promising with regard to her running talent? She wanted it bad.
Izzy pulled her phone from her pocket and sent a long, heartfelt text to her father, explaining how she had to go and that she was safe. She would contact him as soon as she could, and that he believed in her judgment and needed to trust her on this one.
The guilt at leaving him on such short notice gnawed at her, but she knew she would’ve regretted it for the rest of her life if she didn’t try.
What was this Academy, and how did they know so much about her? How did she manage to run such a distance in such a short amount of time? Nothing made any sense anymore and she knew in the marrow of her bones that this was the only way to get to the bottom of any of it.
Next, she shot Sam a text to explain her situation, as well. She knew she was going to pay for not telling them what she’d been planning, but Sam and her dad were her ride or die people. The people who she could always count on. They’d be mad but, so long as everything worked out, she’d be forgiven.
Eventually.
And if it didn’t work out, that was probably because Leonard killed her and hid her body, in which case, they’d be so sad, they’d forget to be mad.
She hoped.
Once she was done, she made her way over to the bench where Leonard was sitting, eating a bar of chocolate that he must’ve gotten from the nearby vending machine. When she sat down, he handed her a large manila folder with the words “Nightgrove Academy” typed on the front.
“Sign this,” he said, laying a piece of white paper on top with a paragraph of verbiage on it. “It’s just an NDA stating that you won’t share any of the information inside with anyone, for any reason, except the information you are explicitly allowed to share.”
She read the paper and it was as he said. She could be sued if she talked about what was in the folder or what Nightgrove was like once she got there.
It should’ve scared her, but it only intensified her curiosity, and made her more sure that Leonard wasn’t a serial killer. She accepted the pen he extended and signed with a flourish.
“Done.”
He folded the paper into three and slipped it into an inside pocket of his suit jacket. “Now go ahead and look this over. I think it will satisfy some of your curiosity and offer more reassurance about my intentions,” he said. “You can ask me any questions you have when we’re on the train. If I’m permitted to answer them at this time, I will.”
Izzy checked her phone and saw that neither her father nor Sam had read her message yet. She resolved to look through the folder and try to find something to reassure them both with before the inevitable, panicked phone calls.
She thumbed open the folder to reveal a photo of a picturesque castle on a hill with a detailed map of the grounds below. The next page had the URL of a website and a private login that had been created for her, with a statement saying that it was for the student in question and their legal guardians, only. Relief washed over her when she read this. It would likely go a long way in convincing her father that she was safe if she could give him a website to go to and read about the place. Before going to the following page, she asked Leonard if it was okay, and took a picture with her phone and sent it to her father. It wouldn’t help on the whole Sam front, but her friend was likely to be much easier to sway than her father.
After sending the message, she flipped to the next page. A waiver that would void her rights to sue for damages, if she injured herself on the premises, that seemed similar to the one she had to sign to do track and field at her high school. Knowing her father would want to get a lawyer or something, even though he couldn’t afford it, Izzy signed the paper and slipped it back in the folder.
“Train 357 arriving on track two. Train 357,” a mechanical voice said over the intercom.
Izzy glanced at Leonard, who stood.
“This is us.”
The chugging locomotive rolled to a stop, and Leonard led the way onto one of the cars.
This was it. If she wanted to turn back, now was the time. She paused and turned just in time to watch as the door whooshed closed behind her.
She blew out a breath and straightened, trailing behind as Leonard chose a pair of seats on the nearly empty train. She set her bag on the rack above them and sat, folder still in hand.
“I’m going to rest my eyes while you read, but feel free to poke me.”
She nodded absently, and cracked open the folder again, flipping to the next page. It was a breakdown of what exactly her scholarship would consist of, and the numbers had her jaw swinging open in shock. It not only included food—which was described as “gourmet”—but it also included housing, tuition, and “specialized one-on-one training”, as well as a small stipend for spending money, to the tune of over eighty grand a year.
At the bottom of the page was a clause that read: “The Administration at Nightgrove Academy reserves the right to retract a student’s scholarship at any time, for any reason. In this case, transportation home will be provided and all benefits will cease.”
For eighty grand worth of school, lodging and cash, it made sense that their eligibility rules were strict and unbending.
Before she could look at the next page, she was interrupted by the sound of their train’s horn and she looked out the window to see the welcome sign of the next town over. She’d left Stockridge for real. On the open road, destination mostly unknown. She should be terrified, but all she felt was elation.
This was her time to shine. Her time to pay her dad back for all he’d done for her, and make him proud. And best of all? If she made it big and could afford to move her dad out of this place?
She’d never have to see that witch Jessica again.
Score.
Chapter 4
It was five hours later when Leonard shook her awake, saying that they’d arrived at their stop. The station, located in a small town in southern Idaho, was tiny and run-down and there was nobody waiting to board as they got off.
He led Izzy straight down a flight of stairs and to the parking lot, where a black sedan was waiting. When she got in, she was struck by the clutter and fast food wrappers strewn about the car because it contrasted so strongly with his well-tailored suit and his general demeanor.
She let out a loud yawn and scrubbed at her gritty eyes. She hadn’t gotten much sleep, as she spent a lot of her time reading the materials in the folder and staring at the picture of the gorgeous castle. The curriculum listed had been super vague, but it seemed like it was a largely sports-oriented school and there would be a lot of gym time. Which was fine by her.
By the time she set the reading material aside, she’d seen she had two missed calls. She returned them both with mixed results. Sam squawked about Izzy not telling her earlier, and made her take a picture of an amenable but eye-rolling Leonard so she could send it to the police if Izzy went missing. From that point on, it seemed like she was as curious as Izzy to find out where this adventure would lead, and Izzy promised to get in touch again ASAP.
Her dad, on the other hand, had been a lot tougher sell.
“Have you lost your fu…freaking mind?” he’d demanded in a voice so angry, it was even worse than the time she’d poured liquid hand soap into his mouthwash when she was four, thinking it would help keep his teeth extra sparkly.
It had taken a half an hour—for which he lost his pay, she knew—and assurances from both herself and Leonard to calm him down, but they’d eventually managed. So long as he liked what he saw on the website and she wrote him regularly—there was an issue with cell service due to the remote location—he wouldn’t make her come home. At least, not this semester.
And now, they were finally here. Or, almost here, at least…
“How far are we from the Academy?” Izzy asked with a yawn.
“A few hours.”
They were surrounded on all sides by rolling fields, with corn in the distance.
Izzy didn’t sleep, even though she was still very tired, because she still didn’t totally trust Leonard. They passed no cities and few towns on the drive. The castle-like structure, now visible, was extremely remote and was surrounded by open land in front and a large forest behind.
He hadn’t been kidding. There hadn’t been a cell tower for miles.
There was a paved parking lot directly next to the castle that seemed out of place in such a rustic location. There were only five other cars parked in the lot, four identical sedans and a full-sized black van. After parking and getting out of the car, he led her towards a metal door that had clearly been added after the castle’s construction, and unlocked it with a key.
“I have a satellite phone for official business you can use to tell your dad it’s legit and we’ve arrived safe,” Leonard said, holding out a heavy silver device.
She made the call, relieved when the answering machine picked up. She left a quick message and hung up, feeling marginally better that he would be more settled now.
They stepped inside and her relief disintegrated as she heard a click behind her.
“The door auto locks. It’s a safety precaution. There are wolves in the woods and there have been a few bear sightings lately,” he said, noticing her alarm.
There was nothing to do about it now, but she was glad she’d sent Sam that picture of Leonard as she followed him down the hallway. This place didn’t fit the bill for your average, “he seemed so normal” kind of serial killer, at any rate. It was super elaborate and had that old money feeling of a place like Yale. The walls were made of old stone and were clearly original, while the floors had been updated and were very modern. Izzy felt totally removed from modern life, as if she had entered another realm that was trapped in time. As they walked, she noticed that most doorways were simple stone arches without a door in place, with a few metal doors like they had entered through scattered around.
“Oh, I almost forgot. I’ll have to take your cell phone. They don’t work anyway, but we can’t have pictures being taken here, either. Information of a very sensitive nature will be shared with you and it would be problematic if people on the outside got wind of it.”
Izzy reluctantly handed him her crappy old phone. Despite it being essentially useless to her here, it felt like losing her last connection to the outside world and her old life, and suddenly her fears returned with a vengeance.
They’d been walking for a good five minutes when Leonard turned and headed towards a small cafeteria. She followed him in, breathing an audible sigh of relief when she saw coffee and breakfast food was being served, and a few older and rather official-looking people talking in front of a large television broadcasting the daily news.
“See? Everything is fine.” Leonard smiled and grabbed a paper plate for both of them, handing Izzy’s to her as he led her over to the counter.
“I’ll have scrambled eggs and a piece of toast,” he said while pointing at the heated tray with the eggs on it that the server sat behind, and then turned to Izzy, “get whatever you want, the food is excellent.”
“I’ll take some scrambled eggs with sausage,” she said, realizing with a start how hungry she was. Her stomach had been in such knots, she’d forgotten she hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before.
The server, a broad shouldered older man with red hair and a scruffy beard, spooned generous portions of the food onto their plates and handed them back with a cheery smile. Izzy thanked him and grabbed a fork, digging in right away, happy to relieve the ache in her stomach.
“No problem, have a good day, sir and ma’am,” he said, cutting the “h” sound off of the word have, adding to the charm of his lilting brogue.
They sat and ate together in silence as Izzy wondered where the rest of the students were. She didn’t have to wait long to find out as, once they were done eating, Leonard stood.
“We’re a little later than a lot of the kids, who got here yesterday. Why don’t I take you to your dorm so you can meet your roommates, hmm?”
He led her in the direction of the dormitories, according to a sign that had been posted at the end of the hall. After passing the boys’ section, they arrived to a section marked “girls”. He stopped at the entrance and told her that she’d been assigned to room two and bed four.
“I have high hopes for you, Isabelle. You’re going to love it here.”
Izzy waved a goodbye, a nervous shiver rolling over her. She was excited to meet the people she’d be sharing a room with, but she was also apprehensive about Leonard leaving. Sure, she’d spent the better part of their relationship thinking there was a good chance he was the next Ted Bundy, but still. The devil you know…
She peered into the room to see six twin beds on the right side, in paired off bunks, and a fireplace with the same number of chairs on the left, four of which had people currently sitting in them. A single large bookshelf sat directly ahead with three medium-sized dressers on each side, looking about as old as the castle itself, that were in stark contrast to the modern flat screen TV sitting behind them. The room also had two fans on the ceiling and an air conditioner that had been rigged to fit into the ancient window on the right side near the beds.
Izzy took a deep breath and stepped in.
“Hey, guys!” she said as she put her bag in the fourth dresser, which was marked with “#4” on the top with permanent marker.
A girl with a blue dress that hung to her ankles, and looked like it belonged in an episode of Game of Thrones, stood up and walked over to her. She had skin as pale as a whiteboard and was displaying a toothy grin.
“Salutations, my lady, my name is Max, what’s yours?” she said with a sweep of her arm, almost tripping as she lowered herself in an exaggerated curtsy.
Izzy looked around to see if she missed the memo about the renaissance fair that was clearly taking place at the Academy today. She wondered idly if dinner would include mutton and, if so, she hoped there would be some mead to wash it down because she would need it. Upon further examination, it seemed like Max was the only one dressed that way, which was good.
“I’m Isabelle but you can call me Izzy.”
“Nice to meet you, m’lady,” Max said, sitting back down and gesturing for Izzy to do the same.
“Nice to meet you, Izzy. I’m Aiko,” said another girl seated to Izzy’s right. She had long, dark hair and wore a black t-shirt with fire and a band name that Izzy didn’t recognize, along with a pair of jeans. Izzy shook her hand and smiled.
“Hi, I’m Ashley,” said a girl with blonde hair and light blue eyes. She wore a yellow camisole and jean shorts, and was smiling warmly at Izzy. Izzy waved and smiled back.
“And I’m Rebecca.” This from the last girl, who appeared to be much younger than the others as she gave a wiggle of her fingers.
“Hi, Rebecca, did you just graduate, as well?” Izzy said, trying to piece together how she could be accepted to higher education at such a young age.
“I just graduated, but I’m fifteen. I skipped a few grades,” Rebecca said and turned her blushing face away.
Whoa. Apparently, they had a genius in their midst. Interesting. Intimidating, but interesting.
“So, how long have you guys been here? Do you know when classes start? Or, more importantly, what they’re going to entail?”
“I was the first to arrive and I got here two days ago,” Aiko said. “The dean said classes will begin tomorrow and there is going to be an assembly about our class assignments later today. From what I can gather, everyone here is gifted in some way or another. I’m gonna be honest, though, short of making a mean cinnamon French toast stick and an astonishing and inexplicable breadth of knowledge about 80’s rock bands, I have no clue why they picked me.”
Ashley nodded h
er golden head. “Same here. Only, without the 80’s band thing. And I can’t cook.”
“No sports?” Izzy asked, mind churning with more questions.
Max snorted. “Alas, no.”
“Nope,” Ashley said, shrugging. “Tap, jazz, and ballet. But I’m not even that great…”
Apparently, curiosity loved company as much as misery did, because she felt a thousand times better that her new roomies were as in the dark as she was. She wound up spending a pretty pleasant day getting to know them and trying to guess what they all might have in common.
By the time lunch was brought to their dorm room at noon, they were joking like old friends, and by dinnertime, Izzy was at peace and feeling more sure than ever about her decision.
There was a knock on their door and a man poked his head in. “You ladies can go get some food at the cafeteria, but then bring it to the gathering hall to eat. We are having an orientation assembly in about twenty minutes.”
She and her newfound friends hurried to the cafeteria in an attempt to beat the inevitable rush of students trying to get food, but they found they were far from the first to arrive.
Izzy was happy to note that their dinner did not, in fact, feature a main course of mutton. Instead, the serving counter was set up as a buffet style taco bar, where students could make their own tacos with whatever toppings they wanted. She put together two tacos filled to the brim with meat and cheese onto her sturdy cardboard plate, and then drenched it in hot sauce. Tacos were a favorite of hers and she was active enough that she never felt a need to skimp on the meat or cheese. Max put together a taco salad that looked to be more lettuce than meat, while her other roommates put together some normal-sized tacos with an assortment of toppings. Izzy made a point of finding the red-bearded food server, who was bringing a tray of meat out from a back room to replace the depleted first one, and asking for his name.
“You can call me Thomas, or Tom, if you prefer,” he said as he grabbed the old tray and swapped it for the new one.
“Thank you for your hard work, Tom. I know how hard it can be to serve this many people for so many hours in a row.”
Nightgrove Academy Book One Page 3