10. Nim
Chapter 10
Nim
A thick carpet soaks up the sounds of our footfalls. That, paired with the disturbing tapestries on the walls, make the long, gloomy hallways claustrophobic. The only window is the one right at the end of the hall—and that’s a long way off.
Then there are the portraits. I’m not sure how many we’ve passed already, but they’re starting to freak me out more than the tapestries.
“This is us,” Romi says, pointing at room 213.
It has an electronic panel for a keycard, slightly ruining the effect of the hall’s dark wood paneling.
“Oh, wow,” I murmur, when the door swings open. Honest to God, I was expecting two four-poster beds, a chamber pot, and a bronze tub in one corner.
Romi doesn’t comment, but I guess she’s had some time to get used to the opulence. She’s pretty—flawless skin, heavy-lidded brown eyes. But she doesn’t wear any makeup, which is weird. I guess she doesn’t need it, but all the girls I know wear at least a lick of mascara during the day.
“This is my side, that’s yours. The bathroom is through there. Please don’t leave wet towels on the floor.”
Cinderhart really has a flair for the dramatic. The room is bright and airy—absolutely no hint of the oppressively dark decor from the hallway. The carpet is a light gray, thick and foamy under my shoes, which I immediately take off and put beside Romi’s black mules just so I can sink my socks into it.
“Oh yeah, thanks,” Romi says. “I forgot about the shoes.”
Two double beds face off on either side of the room. Crisp white bedding and a few muted scatter cushions in pink, purple, and gray. There’s a thick fur throw placed just so on the bottom corner of each—one brown, one dove gray. Romi pointed to the brown one as hers, so I immediately head over to the gray one and run my hands over it.
Oh God, it’s so silky soft. I just want to wrap myself up in it.
“This is amazing,” I tell her.
Two large closets, two desks, two armchairs near the large bay windows responsible for filling this room with so much light. The lace curtains on the windows are decorative only—no drapes to draw. I guess that, like taking photos, sleeping in isn’t encouraged at the Academy.
“Your schedule is on your desk,” Romi tells me. “Do you want to see the rest of the campus?”
I lift a finger. “Yeah, just one sec,” I say and slip into our shared bathroom.
As soon as the door closes behind me, I clap a hand over my mouth and squeal. Then I turn to look at the bathroom and squeal again.No bronze tub in here either, but there is a claw-foot tub, a shower, and a toilet with a bidet.
I turn to look at myself in the mirror. I’ve been wearing much less makeup these days. It seems so pointless in the grander scheme of things, plus, I don’t have Mom telling me to give my skin some color because I look like a ghost.And then telling me to go spend some time outdoors.
My eyes mist, and I blink them back hurriedly. I wish I could have had just a little more time with my parents. Staring at my reflection, I swipe away a tear with my knuckle and push back my shoulders.
When my parents left Vicky’s house, I was low-key pissed off at them. If I’d known what would happen, I would never have let them leave. I try not to think about it…too many what-ifs.
That’s probably the main reason I’m here. I can’t take back what happened that night. But they had a plan for me. They wanted me to come to their school and follow in their footsteps. I don’t know how well I’ll stack up—they’re both geniuses in their own right—but I’m damn well going to try.
“I’m going to make you proud,” I whisper, my lips trembling when I force them into a smile. “You’ll see.”
“Let’s go through the courtyard,” Romi says. “I need some fresh air.”
I’m trying to keep track of all the twists and turns she takes as we work our way through the building. Thankfully, there are bronze plaques every so often, pointing out places like the cafeteria, the library, the dean’s office...and the courtyard.
“Have you been here long?” I ask her.
“A week. I’d have preferred Oxford or Cambridge, but my parents won’t let me study abroad.”
Oh my God, how cruel of them. Cinderhart Academy looks amazing, but I don’t see how it can compare to Europe?If her parents had the money why would they stop their child from getting a world-class education?
She glances at me as we enter a foyer with large stained-glass doors at one end. Some armchairs and a few coffee tables are scattered around the space, but all they do is make it look bigger.
“So what’s your story?” she asks.“Your family just move here or something?”
“Um, no. Well, kinda.”My cheeks start heating up.I’m in no mood to talk about my parents. Today has been an emotional day, and I don’t want to burst into tears on my first day.
“Here’s your keycard. Don’t lose it, or you’ll have to pay to get a new one.” She hands me the black card and then pushes open one of the doors leading out, walking so fast I have to hurry to catch up with her.
If my dorm room is my favorite place in Cinderhart Academy, then this courtyard is definitely my second. It’s a massive rectangle, open to the sky. The building wraps around it on all sides, its domineering architecture a stark contrast to the scattering of oak trees and vines out here. A brick pathway cuts the courtyard into four squares, and there’re picnic benches and fountains and some hammocks. One square is just lawn, and a couple of guys are throwing around a football.
It’s the first time I’ve seen anyone else. I was starting to wonder where the hell all the students were. I hear laughter to one side, and when we start walking through the courtyard, I see a group of girls partially secluded behind the trunk of a massive oak tree, studying on the grass.More students appear the closer we get to the center of the courtyard, most sunbathing on the grass.
I hurry to catch up to Romi. Her black jumper dress hangs from her scrawny frame, barely creasing as she walks. She’s wearing a white ruffled long-sleeved shirt and long white stockings that end just above her knees. The silver bow on each matches the elaborate bow tie at her throat.
What a weird uniform.
The guys playing on the lawn are wearing black sweatpants and tank tops with the Cinderhart Academy crest on the front in silver.And it seems going to the gym is compulsory because they’re all ripped.
“They’re on the team,” Romi says when she notices me drooling.
“Which one?”
She laughs. “Football, duh. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were new?”
I laugh too. “That obvious, huh?”
Halfway across the courtyard, I turn to look down the other two paths.
Romi points to the left. “Those are the boys’ dorms. Strictly no-fly zone if you have a uterus.”
“Ah.”
“Guys also aren’t allowed in the girls’ dorms, duh.”
“Obviously,” I murmur.
Not that I’m planning on inviting anyone back to my room anytime soon. I’m here to study, and to forget .
I’m about to look away when the boys’ stained-glass door opens. My eyes are immediately drawn to the three guys who walk out, two in smart black blazers with silver trim, the crest large on their breast pockets in silver thread. The guy walking in front of them is rocking a silver vest and matching silver tie. But it’s not his outfit that draws my eye. It’s his shock of black hair.
I’m aware that I’ve stopped moving. I’m aware that it’s fucking suicide. But just like that day in the woods, I’m suddenly paralyzed.
As soon as I recognize Vuitton and his two friends, it’s as if he senses a disturbance in the force and looks my way. Those jet-black eyes lock onto mine from across the courtyard.
“Nim?”
Romi comes back to me. “What are you—?” She heaves a sigh. “Oh. Them .”
“Them?” I manage, despite my closing throat.
“The Serpents. God, I hate those guys. Everyone worships the ground they walk on.”
“The Serpents ?” I swallow hard.
Another sigh from Romi. She comes to stand beside me and points unabashedly at Vuitton.
“That’s Knox,” Romi says. “His family is one of the oldest in Cinderhart. Not a First Five family,” she adds with a sniff, “But with their connections, they may as well be.”
Her finger moves to Smackdown, the muscular juggernaut walking beside Knox. “That’s Mason.” Despite his size, his uniform looks perfectly tailored. Now that they’re closer, I see he’s wearing the same silver vest under his blazer as Knox. “His dad is the Butcher of Jig Street.”
“I’m sorry, what?” It shows how shocked I am that I’m able to break eye contact with Knox long enough to gape at Romi. Even across the quad, his eyes are fucking magnetic.
“And the one with the angry face?” I ask. Does he look like that all the time? Because that was the same expression he wore in the woods on that day. Like he was having the worst day of his life, and then I arrived.
“That’s Silas. His dad’s a coal miner. ” Romi whispers the last as if she doesn’t want anyone overhearing.
“Can we go back to the Butcher ?”
“Mason’s dad?” She frowns. “Yeah, he’s really good at it. Ask anyone.”
It doesn’t make sense. How can they be so blatant? No, fuck that. What doesn’t make sense is the fact that I’m staring at the three guys who murdered someone in the woods not three months ago.
The Serpents go to the same school as me.
It’s official. My life can’t possibly get more fucked up than this.