As my eyes adjust to the bright, early afternoon sunlight, I notice Alden standing next to the open rear door of a black car. Astrid walks ahead of me, no sign of her age in her steps as she saunters to the vehicle and slides into the seat.
I allow myself a glance in my escort’s direction, but his gaze is focused straight ahead, so I just take my seat with a lot less grace than my grandmother displayed. The door shuts immediately after I’m situated, and I notice it’s not your typical backseat. There’s leg room for days, two TVs, and center console that looks like something out of a limo. Clearly, this car was made for the passenger’s comfort.
Alden gets into the front passenger seat, and the car slowly accelerates. I’m a little surprised he’s coming with us, considering Rory said the school was one of the only places he didn’t need to accompany me to, but I’m too excited to see Cadieux to give it much consideration.
Thankfully, there’s no battle at the gate, and we exit smoothly onto the two-lane road that takes us through the forest. The little pitchforks on top of the brick fence seem slightly campy considering the name of the people who live there, but maybe that’s the point. They might as well embrace their name, since it’s not like they chose it.
As the tall spires of the school come into view over top of the lush green trees, I feel the same awe I experienced yesterday. Before the accident, I always hoped to go to college, but even then, I knew if I did, it would be a local community college, not a private school that only admits a tiny percentage of applicants.
I also recognize that getting into this school has nothing to do with me and everything to do with my mom’s parents, but I want to prove myself and I think I can. Things are a lot different for me now than when I was actually in high school, barely earning enough credits to graduate because I missed so many classes, but losing my parents in a car crash and almost dying from my own injuries made it a little hard to study. My remaining kidney is doing the work of two, and it’s not in the greatest shape, which means the chances of me needing a transplant before I’m fifty are pretty high, so I’m excited to embrace any chances life puts forward.
“Ready?” Astrid asks, pulling me from my musings. Alden is already waiting at the open door. I exit quickly, hoping they all think I was just staring up at the school and not thinking about all my shortcomings.
“Will we be able to get in?” I question, looking around at the empty campus.
“It helps to know the right people.” Astrid winks at me conspiratorially. I suppose being a member of one of the founding families gives her a certain amount of freedom.
The driver opens the large wooden door, and we enter a massive hall with a matching door at the opposite end of a long corridor. The ceilings are high and have pointed arch details above all the stone pillars that seem to be holding each archway aloft. The symmetry alone is awe-inspiring.
It’s dim inside when the door closes behind us, the only light coming from the high windows that don’t seem to allow much sunlight in. Heavy black chandeliers provide a soft glow as well, but not enough to chase away the heavy darkness.
I can tell the space on either side of the corridor is expansive, but I can’t see much beyond the shadowy darkness. It’s as quiet as a tomb, as if everyone who steps inside holds their breath, which I don’t doubt. It’s eerie and yet astoundingly beautiful.
There’s a loud clicking noise, and then the darkness recedes, allowing me to see the gray stone and shiny floor. To the right are several large tables with high-back wooden chairs that seem as old as the building, and the wood is heavy and dark. The tables are interspersed with more comfortable seating areas, like plush chairs and sofas I would bet are a more modern addition.
“Here we are,” Astrid says, looking around proudly. “Your mother used to love coming here and—” She cuts herself off with a shake of her head. “This is the Union. Coffee and snacks are over there.” She points to the opposite side of the hall. It is also more modern, but it still manages to fit in with the old-world aesthetic. “The library is down the hall, and there are a few boring offices on the right. All the classes are held in the wings.” She points to the left and right.
I start to walk forward to explore. I’m very curious about what she almost said about my mother, but I’m too hesitant to ask her to finish. The soles of my sneakers don’t make a sound as I peer beyond the pillars. I bet I could spend hours exploring this floor alone. There are staircases, mirrored on each side, leading up to the three stories. Balusters and railings line the upper floors, making it clear you can see down to the ground level from above. I would love to get up there and get a closer look at the ceiling.
“As you can see, it’s an old building. There are a few places that are off-limits to the staff and students. It seems like something is always being repaired,” she adds as if she’s admitting the faucet leaks. “Stay out of the restricted areas. We don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
Alden clears his throat as if he’s prompting me to reply.
“Of course,” I say automatically. It probably wouldn’t have crossed my mind to do otherwise, but the specific mention does make me curious about those areas.
“Good. Would you like to see the main library? Your mother loved hiding in there when she was a little girl,” she divulges easily, and it makes me want to give her a little something of my mom.
“She used to play hide-and-seek with me when I was little,” I share.
Astrid’s eyes soften, confirming I made the right move.
Alden and the driver hang back near the main entrance, while Astrid leads me down the long corridor and into a beautifully appointed library. It’s hard to imagine my mother as a child at all, but thinking of her slipping through the tall bookcases and into nooks and crannies seems even more surreal, especially since she would pretend I was hard to find over and over when I was always in the same few places in our tiny house.
“The doors are usually left open until midnight, though you won’t always find someone working the desk that late. It’s closed now for break.” Astrid casts her lingering gaze around the room. I get the impression she hasn’t been here in a while.
“That’s good to know. I’m sure I’ll have some catching up to do with my studies.” I run my hand over the spines of the leather-bound books as I move up and down a few rows. That thought brings a host of others. In my excitement and apprehension, I totally forgot about things like being the new girl and starting in the middle of a year.
“How many students are enrolled in Cadieux?” I try to make my question sound casual, but I can hear the nervousness in my tone.
“Just under fourteen hundred.”
Wow, I’m pretty sure that’s smaller than my high school. There is no way people aren’t going to notice I’m a new face. “Will there be any other transfers this semester?”
“I don’t think so, but you could ask your grandfather, he would know.”
“Oh, does he teach here?”
“The founding families each have a regent on the board. Rory is the current president, but he will relinquish his role to the next family in succession in a few years. It’s the way it has always been done.” She sighs out the last part, but I can’t tell if his time coming to an end soon is a relief or if she’s unhappy about it.
Her mention of the other families makes me think of the encounter we had with a Morningstar yesterday. It’s easy to assume there isn’t any love lost between the families. I bet that makes board meetings awkward.
“So there’s a predetermined order and a term each family is in charge?” This is pretty darn interesting stuff.
“Yes.” Her lips curl like the Cheshire Cat, and I feel like there’s something I’m missing. “It’s such an amazing legacy to be a part of.”
“I bet,” I reply, feeling uncomfortable, but not really sure why.
“Sorry I can’t stay longer. I have a few things I need to take care of.” Astrid’s features soften, and I wonder if I imagined the eerie grin.
“Sure. Do you mind if I walk back? I’d like to explore the campus a little more.
“Just send for a car when you’re ready.” She waves off my suggestion of walking while holding the door open for me to exit the library ahead of her.
“When you come in to get your schedule sorted, you’ll head right over there.” She points across the hall.
“Thanks,” I tell her, grateful for all the info.
“Nova wants to explore a little.” Astrid relays the information, and Alden nods in acknowledgement. “Just send for someone when she’s ready.” With those parting words, she sashays toward the exit, and the driver opens the door for her before following her out.
“Sorry,” I say the moment Alden and I are alone.
“For?”
“I wasn’t thinking that if I chose to stick around, you would have to as well.”
“It’s my job to be where you are. Don’t apologize,” he dismisses flatly, making me think that what he said and how he feels are at odds.
“Mind if I check out the upstairs? I won’t be long.”
Instead of answering me, Alden leans his shoulders back against the stone wall and crosses his arms over his barrel chest in a pose that implies a lack of patience, but he doesn’t object. He sure seems to be in a bad mood today.
I take the staircase on the left, feeling the smooth polished wood under my hand, but my eyes are busy roaming. The second floor is much smaller to accommodate the high ceilings below it, but I see a few closed doors near the back wall and a hall I’m assuming leads to the other wing. I’m going to need a map of this place, especially after I get my schedule. There’s no way I’m going to wander around like an idiot my first few days.
My eyes are already taking in the beautiful stone arches as I reach the third floor. It’s a little daunting to think about all that weight suspended over my head, but to say I’m in awe would be an understatement.
It’s darker up here. Either the lights aren’t turned on, or there’s just less. It feels abandoned, or maybe it just seems that way since the place is nearly empty right now. There’s a small sitting area with three high-back upholstered chairs grouped together over in the far corner. If Alden weren’t waiting, I would sink into the deep green velvety one and claim it as my own.
When I turn to head back downstairs, I yelp and cover my mouth to stifle the sound. “Holy crap, you scared me,” I hiss at Alden once I can breathe.
He’s completely unaffected by my outburst. In fact, he looks bored. “Holy crap?” he mocks with that single lifted eyebrow.
I don’t bother defending myself, it’s not like I should have to anyway. “I thought I didn’t need an escort in the school?”
“You do today,” he counters.
“Let’s just go.” I start down the stairs. I can’t hear him behind me, but I can sure feel him. He’s like this looming presence that makes me feel edgy, like he might elbow me down the stairs at any moment, but I know that thought is only in my head. That would get him fired for sure, and he takes his job way too seriously for that.
I squint my eyes once I shove through the heavy wooden doors. It’s too bright, too green, too everything. The muted interior felt comforting, but the sunshine feels out of place. “You can call the car,” I say over my shoulder, not bothering to look if he’s with me.
“I thought you wanted to explore?” He makes it sound like a bad word.
“I’ll do it on my own time.” I let him know that I’m aware he thinks I’m an inconvenience. I wish I could relieve him of the burden just as much as he does. Besides, I’m sure my grandparents will lighten up when they realize I’m not going to run away like my mom did. I already know what it’s like to be broke and struggle to pay bills, which is a heck of a lot harder than dealing with a couple of overprotective grandparents who mean well.
“Nov—shit.” He turns what I think is about to be my name into a curse. Before I realize what’s happening, Alden is standing in front of me, so close I can’t even see around him.
“Move,” an unfamiliar voice drawls.
“No,” Alden replies tightly.
“Why can’t I say hello to the little Umbra cunt?”
My mouth falls open in silent outrage before I snap it closed and step to the side to get a look at the person calling me names. I wasn’t prepared.
I was expecting a buttoned-up snob, but what I see has me wishing I would have stayed hidden.
He’s tall, at least six foot, with shiny dark hair that’s combed so neatly, it looks oiled. The side part is perfectly lined up, but that’s where the civility ends. His light eyes almost look eerie under his dark brows. There’s a thin hoop in his left nostril made of a black metal, and at least three black ball studs near his ear, but none of them are in his lobe. Black and gray ink swirls up his neck, right to his perfectly chiseled jawline, then it disappears under the collar of his anything but simple white shirt that’s stretched over his chest, outlining more piercings in his nipples, and that’s when I stop staring at his body.
“Well, well,” he coos in that slight drawl. “Did they pluck you right off the street, Charity?” His voice is filled with disdain while his eyes linger on me, letting me see he’s returning the thorough once-over. The sardonic curl of his lips and slitted gaze imply he clearly finds me lacking.
“Pretty much, pretty boy.” I don’t need to be told who this is. I would bet my five grand that this is Morningstar. He’s not the first asshole I’ve come across, but he might be the best looking.
“We’re on school property,” Alden says as if it’s a deterrent of some sort. It must work, because the man darts his eyes over to my escort—who I’m thinking might just be a bodyguard—and I realize how tense I was under his gaze.
“When have I ever given a fuck about rules?”
“Only when it suits you, Morningstar,” Alden responds coolly, confirming my assumption about his identity.
“Or when it amuses me. Tell Umbra her desperation reeks of disappointment” —he turns those icy blue eyes toward me again— “and gutter trash. See you around, Charity.”
“Later, pretty boy.”
He flashes his teeth at me, but it’s not in a smile as he turns and saunters down to a slick black car. It’s the same one I thought he was going to use to ram us with at the gate.
“Could you have been any more antagonistic?” Alden snarls under his breath as the car slowly creeps away.
“Yes,” I answer honestly.
He spares me a glance, then makes a phone call, barking orders for someone to bring a car to pick us up.
“What the heck is his problem anyway?” I fold my arms over my chest, feeling crappy that his words are getting to me. I mean, how could he know that I’m broke with one look?
“Power, greed, and loyalties—typical rich people shit—but don’t kid yourself, Nova. All of the families hate each other. The Morningstars just don’t hide it,” Alden informs me as an SUV pulls up to the curb.
“Lovely. Thanks for the heads-up. So the whole escort, protector thing?” I leave the question open-ended.
“Is more of a deterrent than anything else—a reminder that they are not the gods they pretend to be.”
“Gods.” I snort, thinking it must be a bit of an exaggeration. “Please tell me he’s too cool for school.”
“I wish I could, but that would mean he’d miss out on being worshiped by these sheep,” Alden says.
“Wow, this just keeps getting better and better,” I mumble under my breath, and I’m pretty sure it makes Alden smile, but as soon as I think I notice a change in his expression, it’s gone before I can read it.
