Chapter 5 Thou Shalt Not Panic in Public #2
Tan, taut golden skin covers his tall athletic frame. A mop of golden curls on his head effortlessly frame his chiseled face and the biggest bright green eyes I have ever seen. He laughs at something his friend says next to him, exposing his deep dimples around his full lips… I must be drooling.
Holly shoulder checks me lightly and laughs as his group walks past.
“That’s Alexi Zevalli. A freshman Luster. Don’t worry, everyone I’ve seen has had the same reaction as you.”
I clear my throat, embarrassed to be caught. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
She rolls her eyes, smiling, and continues.
“Rumor has it he is already in with Ryker and his posse. So he must be pretty powerful.”
“Who’s Ryker?” I ask.
“Ryker Blaise. The Councilor of Greed’s son. He’s a sophomore. There’s a huge power dynamic because Councilor Willshire’s son is also a Sophomore.”
Her voice drops to a whisper. “And just like how Greed and Pride are top dogs in Vail, their two sons are just as powerful at SinVail Academy.”
We continue walking through the hall.
“Of course they don’t get along. So typically, the most powerful students join one side or the other.
Thankfully, they don’t mix in public. Since the Sophomores can leave campus, most upperclassmen eat in Academy Hollow, or they bring their own food to eat around campus.
The cafeteria is mostly just freshmen, although Atticus Willshire and his posse like to show up from time to time and remind everyone they are at the top of the food chain… as if we could forget.” She says.
“So there’s your crash course in SinVail Academy politics. Come on, I’ll show you to our room and then we can grab some dinner.”
I follow Holly up the spiral staircase to the third floor and step out into a long hallway. This section of the academy is a square of hallways wrapped around a smaller stone courtyard full of tables, chairs, benches and flower pots.
“They really encourage us to be outside…” I murmur.
“I love all the outdoor spaces.” Holly looks at the courtyard wistfully. “It makes sense too, this many people, a mix of factions, all under one roof. Not to mention, we’re pretty far out from the nearest city. It helps contain the illusion that we aren’t all cooped up and living like prisoners.”
She’s right. I gaze up at the stunning barrel vault ceilings of the hallways encircling the courtyard. Although the academy is beautiful, I have seen little beyond the classrooms that hints at how we will spend our time here.
Add in that we are mixing all factions and it feels more like a pressure cooker about to blow than an academy. The open areas revealing the sky look like a welcome escape from academy stress. Then again, maybe it's just here to provide the illusion of being free.
We continue down the hall and she stops in front of a door. She turns to me, handing me a small key on a lanyard.
“This is our room, and this is your key. Try it on the lock to make sure it works.”
I unlock and open the door, stepping into my new home for the next year. The room's beautiful in a cryptic sort of way and immensely better than any of our huts in Wrath. I run my fingers over the beautiful glass window, admiring its jewel colors and intricate design.
Looking around the room, I see two simple wooden armoires facing each other, a plain wooden desk and chair next to each armoire, and two twin beds against the wall opposite the door. I notice that one bed is just a bare mattress. That must be mine.
“Did you bring your bedding?” Holly asks.
“Erm... no, I had to leave in a hurry. I didn’t get to bring much.”
Holly looks a little taken aback but doesn’t push. “Okay, well you’ll be able to order bedding from the dorm store… but it’s closed by now. Hmmm… the bathroom is down the hall on your right. You could grab some towels from there to tide you over tonight? Want me to run and grab you some?”
“Sure, that would be great.” I don’t bother mentioning that these towels will probably be my bedding all semester because I don’t have a dime to my name.
After Holly walks out, I take a minute to inspect the desk and armoire.
I open the top drawer on my desk and am relieved to see it full of notebooks and pens, so I don’t have to stress about supplies for class.
There’s an unfamiliar cardboard box sitting on top of the notebooks.
I open it to find a standard academy issued cell phone and excitement creeps up.
I’ve never had a cell phone.
Shutting the drawer, I turn my attention to the armoire.
I open the doors and find several outfits hanging in the closet already.
Three pairs of matching SinVail Academy logo pajama short and cami sets, a navy messenger bag, a thick dark blue SinVail Academy hoodie, and much to my dismay… five uniforms.
Skirted uniforms.
The skirts are blue and cream, plaid and pleated. If Sadie or Peter saw me in this, they would laugh their asses off and never let me live it down.
Next to the skirts are 5 white crisp button up shirts and 5 navy blue suit jackets with the SinVail Academy logo on the top right.
Finally, I find a stunning black zip up fighting suit. It has all sorts of harnesses and holsters for weapons. I wonder if I can get away with wearing this everyday instead of the skirts…
I open the drawer beneath the closet. 5 sets of plain grey cotton underwear with matching bralettes, tags still attached. Thank god.
Not that I’m too good for hand-me-downs — I’ve lived in hand-me-downs my entire life, but underwear is pushing it. In the next drawer are 4 pairs of shoes, a pair of tall grey boots, black tennis shoes, navy flats, navy heels (no thank you), and 5 pairs of white knee-high socks.
Just as I close the drawer, I hear Holly’s key in the door. She walks in with a bundle of towels and tosses them on my bed, turning to me.
“Skirts… seriously?” I say, looking unimpressed.
“Yeah, we all went through that uproar yesterday,” she says with a sigh sitting on her bed.
“I guess it’s to discourage wrath ladies from fighting outside of our training classes,” she continues with a knowing smirk. We both know the risk of a panty flash isn’t enough to keep a wrath from a fight.
“So, are you ready to head down into the dining hall for dinner?” She asks me, standing up and moving towards the door.
“I think I’m going to head to bed early… it’s been a long day of traveling.”
That’s an understatement. I haven’t slept in over 48 hours. I’m hungry, but my exhaustion from no sleep and fried nerves is winning out at this point.
“Ok, I understand,” she says. “We can continue your tour tomorrow morning.”
“I have to meet the Dean at 6:30am. Do you know where her office is?”
She blinks at me, like I’ve surprised her again. “I think they said her office was off the entry courtyard, but we were told she’s not at the academy right now.”
“Great, thank you! I can meet you for breakfast in the dining hall after?”
“That sounds great,” she says, catching my drift that I don’t want to answer any questions right now. “Well, goodnight.”
“Thanks, Holly.” I say before she can leave. I realize my secrecy might make look like an asshole.
“We’ll talk more tomorrow. I’m just beat right now. But I appreciate my partial tour.” I give her a soft smile that I hope conveys my sincerity.
She nods and gives a bright smile back before waving goodbye and leaving.
I lay the towels on my mattress and roll one up to use as a pillow.
Exile would be much worse, I remind myself.
I pull out my cell phone and open the screen. I’m guessing the little clock picture will set my alarm. When I figure that out and double and triple check I set it right, I lay down on my makeshift bedding and am fast asleep within minutes.