Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
IRIS
I awoke to the sun’s rays filtering through the curtains, dappled light pooling across the wooden floor.
At first I tossed and turned – the unease, no doubt, of sleeping in a new place – but I soon drifted into the best sleep I had had in weeks.
My fingers curled into the soft fabric of the blanket as I pulled it over my head, nestling deeper into its warmth.
Yet before I could slip back into that blissful slumber, the clock chimed seven.
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I noticed a small piece of parchment resting on my bedside table. Stretching out from my cocoon to retrieve it, I saw that it read:
I wanted to make sure that you got plenty of rest, so I didn’t want to wake you.
Good luck in your first classes today! I’m not with you until the fourth period, so I drew you a map so you don’t get lost!
Yours, A
It was quite possibly the worst drawing I had ever seen…
but I appreciated her effort nonetheless.
The school’s ancient corridors – already confusing enough with their crooked staircases and endless hallways – had been drawn as a series of deeply questionable lines.
One staircase appeared to lead directly into a wall, and I was fairly certain the clock tower in the courtyard had been drawn at least twice.
But the longer I looked at it, the more I found myself smiling.
She had made little annotations in certain places, in terrible handwriting – “best coffee” was circled, accompanied by a badly drawn cup, located down what appeared to be a lemon-shaped alleyway.
The research science lab had been circled and labelled “this place is cool”, as had the library, which read, “If you need hush times.”
I traced the route with my finger, already certain I would keep the paper folded safely in my pocket. It might not help me find my way around…
But I loved it anyway.
I dangled my feet over the edge of the bed, lowering them slowly onto the cold wooden floorboards before padding over to the wardrobe.
Inside, I found a short tartan skirt, long black stockings, and an oversized jumper.
I ran my fingers through my dark waves, brushing them from my face before gathering them into a high ponytail and securing it with a red velvet ribbon.
At the window, I paused. Below, the forest stretched endlessly towards the cliff’s jagged edge, shrouded in mist. The sky was slate grey, heavy and brooding, and yet still achingly beautiful.
Packing my schedule, course books, and carefully folded ‘map’ into my leather satchel, I swung it over my shoulder and stepped out into the corridor. I still had some time before my first class, and I was not yet ready to rush into it. I wanted to explore the grounds for a while.
The corridor outside was quieter than I expected.
My footsteps echoed softly as I began retracing the same path I had taken the night before.
I wandered the halls, admiring and observing all that I didn’t get the chance to yesterday, since it was so dark when I arrived.
In the daytime, everything looked different.
It was beautiful.
Watery light illuminated each space through the tall windows that lined the corridors, and the spaces without windows were lit by sconces decorating the stone walls.
I slowed slightly, letting my eyes linger on details I had missed last night – intricate carvings along the walls, polished banisters, doors slightly ajar, revealing glimpses of classrooms and studies.
A small number of students meandered around the corridors as I walked, their movements unhurried like mine.
Some travelled in small groups, chatting quietly, while others strolled alone, absorbed in their own thoughts or the pages they flipped through as they walked.
The whole building smelt like aged wood and the faint scent of damp, and yet it was stunning.
Eventually, I rounded a corner and was met with a huge wooden door that stood open slightly. A soft, cool breeze tousled my hair, and the sounds of chatter outside drew me closer. I gently pushed the door open a little further and was nearly blinded by the sun.
Stepping outside, I was amazed at how different the courtyard and grounds looked compared with my arrival. Last night the storm had made Ashcroft seem ominous and intimidating, but in the daylight it could not have been more different.
Trees in brilliant oranges, deep browns and soft golden yellows dotted the courtyard, where small groups of students lounged, eating their breakfast on the grassy banks circling the cobblestone square.
Rising above them all in the centre was the tall clocktower – its stone base dotted with flowers and cloaked in creeping ivy.
I walked the grounds for a long time, taking in the breathtaking views of the school and the cliff overlooking the sea.
It was a stunning autumnal backdrop.
A large forested area took up half the grounds, the trees standing tall despite the high-altitude winds, and I had just reached the tree line when something warm and furry brushed against my leg.
Gasping, I looked down… and grinned.
‘Hi there, little fella,’ I said to the small, black cat now circling me.
‘Where did you come from?’ I knelt and ran my fingers gently along his silky coat.
He began to purr almost immediately. ‘Oh, aren’t you the sweetest thing.
’ He headbutted my hand, as though in agreement.
‘Do you live here?’ I asked, settling cross-legged in the grass.
Then I laughed softly. ‘Of course you do. What am I saying?’
I studied him for a moment.
‘Were you following me?’ As if in answer, he hopped neatly into my lap and curled there, looking up at me with an adorable, patient expression.
‘You’re very friendly,’ I murmured, stroking between his ears.
He leaned into my hand with a pleased little rumble.
I smiled down into his big green eyes. ‘Look at me – one night here and I already have two friends.’
It was very peaceful here, with just the gentle breeze and the sounds of the crashing waves far below.
Behind me, I heard the clocktower in the courtyard chime.
‘I’m really sorry, mister, but I have to go now.
’ I lifted him up and pressed my face briefly into his silky coat before settling him back in my lap.
He purred loudly. ‘My first class starts soon.’ He jumped up as if he understood and looked at me.
‘I promise, if I see you again, I’ll bring you some food.
And I’ll find whoever your owner is and ask what your name is…
’ I paused, thinking. ‘But for now… I'll call you Boo – since you made me jump.’ I winked at him.
He sat back down on the grass, his little feet pressed together as his tail tucked in neatly beneath him, and I turned to walk back to the main campus.
A twig snapped from somewhere behind me and I jumped. My head whipped round to find the source of the noise, but there was nothing there.
Turning back to where Boo was sitting, I realised he was gone.
My eyes scanned the cliff edge, and then turned to look back towards the school.
Nothing.
‘Boo?’ He must have been startled by the noise. ‘Boo?’ I called again…
But I was alone.