8. eight
eight
LYSANDRA
As soon as the plane landed and I got my luggage, I hurried out of the airport and rushed toward the trams outside.
Each had a sign explaining where they would be heading.
My destination was the center of Edinburgh, and as I stared at the different posters.
I realized that I was finally in Scotland.
My new life.
I felt like I could finally breathe, despite being stuck in an airplane for almost an entire day. The night was bright, and I was heading to my new home. A place of knowledge and growth. I would be able to make something of myself here.
I pulled my baggage with me into the bus; excitement giving me renewed strength until I found a spot in the tram.
The trolley was almost empty, with only a few visitors and residents sitting in different corners.
The tram hissed as it moved, and the street lights came into view.
The ground turned to cobblestone, the buildings grew tall as their windows glimmered.
People walked on the streets wearing trench coats, their breath visibly condensing with every word they pronounced, their hands in their pockets—possibly trying to protect themselves from the frigid air.
Oh, but I loved how cold it was outside. The winters here were different from the ones at home, and I couldn’t wait to experience autumn in its full potential.
A smile formed across my face, which was rare. I loved how it felt to be giddy, happy, and free.
The memories of the past no longer mattered.
The tram had come to a stop, and I found myself staring at what seemed to be a castle.
But it was Blackthorn House Academy. Grand and dark.
The cedar of the castle was mighty under the moonlight.
The windows had pristine latches; a very small detail that reflected the magnificence of the entire building.
A fountain was at the center of the court, with gardens that stretched for miles beside the school.
Fields of flowers and grass lie ahead, waiting for me to venture through them.
I picked up my baggage, making sure to nod the driver a goodbye.
The driver’s expression remained impassive as I stepped off the bus, but footsteps followed after mine.
I looked back to find a boy and a girl with suitcases in their hands.
They both watched the school with a glint of admiration as well.
“Are you two students here?” I asked.
“Yes, we’re international. You too?” The boy said with a thick accent that I couldn’t quite place, but that let me know English was not his first language. His tan skin resembled mine under the moonlight.
“I’m from the States. How about you two?” I asked.
“Brazil. I’m Davi, and my friend here is also from the United States.” He gestured to the girl with long black hair and brilliant sky-blue eyes. She seemed to be about a few inches taller than me and had a radiating glow.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Camille.” She extended her hand.
“Lysandra. What state are you from?”
“Michigan, and you?”
“California.” I grimaced as I shook her hand.
“Ooh! How are the beaches there? I’ve always wanted to visit!”
Her glee would’ve scared me away had it not been charming. I rebuked the pride harbored in my mind and accepted her radiance.
“Don’t be fooled. If you’re not filthy rich, you most likely will not enjoy the dry weather or the beaches,” I responded. I hoped I hadn’t come off as rude, but the weight in my chest lifted when she chuckled.
“Should we head inside before we freeze to death?” Davi questioned, teeth chattering.
I nodded along with Camille.
All three of us grabbed our own luggage and hauled it in the direction of the school.
Davi pushed the double doors open. Our footsteps were heavy as we walked in, and our suitcases clattered against the wooden floorboards.
The first sight I had of the interior of the school, was an older man in a suit, standing by the wall of the foyer.
“Good evening, ladies and gentleman!” he exclaimed. “I am Alfred, and I will be your guide for the night as you commence your new academic journey in Blackthorn House Academy!”
There was a sinister energy to him; his eyes glinted as he smirked.
“Hi,” we all said in unison. Camille’s greeting had been more enthusiastic than mine or Davi’s.
“It is a pleasure to meet you all. Please follow me. I will be guiding you to your rooms!” he chirped.
I furrowed a brow and turned to Davi, who seemed just as confused by his cheerful manner. My surprise ended when I noticed the other attendees of the school glaring at us as we passed by their dorms.
The hallways had been dark and gloomy, with fresh chandeliers casting a small amount of light.
As I examined the corridors, I could feel the glares of the students burning holes in my back.
This was not something I was looking forward to: the hostility of the other students.
Although, thinking more about it, I had to admit that stranger’s resentment was better than the misery I felt in my stepfather’s presence.
“Davi, your dorm is in this direction. You will be roommates with an exceptional young man, Ezra Van Dorren. Here he comes,” Alfred said, motioning toward an incoming silhouette.
When I looked up, it felt as though time had stopped.
His sharp cerulean gaze cut right through me; it was impossible to hide behind the black round frames set on his nose.
His pale skin was the perfect contrast to his raven-black hair, and his features caused my heart to flutter.
I cleared my throat. I remained stoic as he approached Davi and shook his hand.
“Van Dorren? As in the Van Dorren Annual Award?” Davi stuttered.
He raised a brow before the corners of his lips curled. “Ah, yes. My father is responsible for the funding of your scholarship.”
“We have your father to thank for such a great opportunity. Make sure to pass on our gratitude to him,” Camille said with a slight nod.
Ezra lowered his chin, a slight dimple piercing his cheek, before his gaze landed on me.
I remained calm, avoiding a single drop of emotion for him.
In all honesty, I thought he was the most beautiful man I had ever laid my eyes on.
And he was staring right at me, probably noticing all the blemishes and scars on my face.
I tilted my head once, my hair falling over my face. As if my strands could hide my hideousness.
“What about you? Are you mute?” he asked with a hint of arrogance. How dare he think himself privileged enough to ask another person that kind of question?
Any type of attraction I had for his physique was shattered by his pride.
“No, I just don’t like to waste my breath on people who are not worth my time.” I gave him a mocking smile.
He clenched his jaw before glancing toward Alfred, who shrugged.
He was a person of wealth; he came from power and status.
It was obvious that he would be corrupted by the society in which he lived in.
And I refused to cower before these snobby rich kids.
Judging by the castle-like form of the school—and noticing that the floorboards seemed to be worth hundreds of thousands—the people who came to this school were wealthy enough to afford the tuition.
Hell, my scholarship had been thousands.
Which meant that the only ones in need were Camille, Davi, and me. The other students could afford their stay in Blackthorn.
“Alfred, would you be kind enough to show me to my rooms?” I asked with a slight smile.
“Of course, miss,” the older man said.
He began to walk in the opposite direction of the boys’ dormitories, heading into a section of the chambers with a different ambiance. There weren’t clothes, food, or trash scattered across the halls like there had been in the male wing of the Academy.
Tons of doors were pulled open, widened eyes blinking back at me. I kept a cool expression.
I would not show hesitance, I reminded myself.
I would remain calm, and I would show them who they were about to confront if they decided to get in my way.
That’s how it usually was in movies, and it was no different in real life.
The rich, pretty girls always felt intimidated by the new ones.
And I would not allow anyone to curse the blessing I had received by being able to study here.
“Okay, ladies, here are your rooms. Fortunately, you will be sharing it.”
Relief washed through me; I wouldn’t be dorm mates with a stuck-up boarding schoolgirl.
“You can settle in. Your orientation will be tomorrow at 1 p.m.,” Alfred said with a slight bob of his head. He spoke with eloquence and a poised demeanor, yet there was something humble about him. If only my other classmates at this school could be more like him.
His silver-haired head disappeared among the mob of brunettes, blondes, and gingers.
Suddenly, I couldn’t help but feel bare before the dozens of girls who were examining me.
They were so different from me, and I was so different from them.
I noticed how distinct the hue of my complexion was from theirs, as well as the coils in my hair and the shine in theirs.
“Let’s head inside, shall we?” I asked.
“Yeah, there’s way too much hostility out here,” Camille uttered, strolling her large bags into the dorm. I followed her.
“Well, I guess this will be our new home for the next year and a half.” Camille pushed her luggage away from her bed and plopped face-first on her pillows.
Although I had a serious ache in my bones from the jet lag, I began to take my belongings out and set them on the desktop situated at the end of my bed.
“Girl, do that tomorrow. Get some sleep. You’ve probably been on a plane longer than I have,” Camille said.
I remained silent, thinking.
I examined the bed and the rest of the room. It was dark, barely lit. It seemed more like a suite than a dormitory. Our dorm was lit up with small electrical sconces connected to the walls. There was a lack of personality and life here. Bland, bleak, and black.
I desperately yearned to add a hint of my soul to the corners of my new room.
But Camille was right. Kicking my shoes off, I pulled on the blankets that were set atop the bed, and it was as if the mattress engulfed me in its embrace, removing my will to stand up again.
The fabric of the sheets and covers smelled of lavender.
I didn’t have to worry about the bed being dirty or used by someone else.
Could this all be a dream? Once I closed my eyes, would all of this disappear in a gust of simple wind?
Fear almost spooked away my exhaustion, but my mind and body shut down.
I was consumed by the tiredness of my travels.
Perhaps it was not just the jet lag affecting me, but also the stress I had to go through to get here.
The frustration I had felt my entire life beside that man seemed to seep through me as my mind was inundated with dreams.