by L. L Hunter
The voices of the waiting students echoed in the expansive room, and all eyes turned to her as she made her way to the last vacant seat in the room, muttering numerous apologies along the way. She sat down next to a brunette Nephilim girl with long straight hair who was texting someone prolifically.
“Hi,” said the girl, not taking her eyes away from her smartphone.
“Hi,” replied Scarlett.
Then the Brunette looked at her. “He’s cute, isn’t he?”
“Who?”
“That guy that walked you in. He’s really cute.”
“I suppose, but he’s not really my type,” Scarlett said, scanning the room to see if the blue-eyed stranger was still around. He wasn’t.
“You’re the only one I’ve talked to that thinks that. I’m Kat, by the way.” She offered her hand.
“Scarlett,” she said, shaking Kat’s hand.
“Anyway, he’s off limits,” added Kat.
“Why’s that? He has a mate?”
“No, he’s a Professor.” Just as the word Professor left Kat’s lips, the room fell to silence, and a woman in a flowing black dress walked into the room.
“Hello, students. I am Professor Beth Blackbell. This is my son, Professor Lakyn Blackbell,” she said, and the mysterious blue-eyed stranger reappeared. He was her son? Lakyn’s gaze immediately found Scarlett’s, and she turned away.
His mother continued. “And my husband is Professor Zachariah Blackbell, who is also your headmaster.” She lovingly touched the arm of her husband who stood beside Professor Lakyn. The older Nephilim’s beard was greying and his eyes matched. Zachariah Stepped forward and took over from his wife.
“Thank you, Beth. As first year recruits, you will learn what it means to be Nephilim in today’s society, and over the next four years, you will learn what it means to be an Angel.”
Kat whispered in Scarlett’s ear, “Amazing speaker.”
“Yeah,” she whispered back.
“Classes will begin tomorrow morning at nine sharp and breakfast begins at eight,” added Beth. “You will be shown to your rooms shortly, and by that time, your bags should have arrived.”
Beth paced back and forward at the front of the room. She looked fierce and wild with her wavy black hair and brown eyes. Scarlett had no doubt that the students were a little afraid of her.
“Lunch will commence at noon, at which time, you will receive your class schedules. Any questions or queries about your class selections should be directed towards me, Professor Lakyn, Headmaster Blackbell, or Estiel at administration. See you at lunch.”
The hallways inside Blackbell were a maze. Scarlett was so glad to be led through them. She would have gotten lost trying to find her room.
“Your bags should have arrived by now,” chimed the maid, Henrietta, in a musical British accent.
Henrietta’s pace was quick across the hardwood floors. Almost running just to keep up, Scarlett’s boots didn’t grip very well. She was glad for her fast reflexes. Scarlett secretly wondered if Henrietta had the blood of a higher ranking Angel than herself or was she a lower ranked angel. She made a mental note to ask later.
Henrietta finally stopped and Scarlett nearly crashed into the back of her.
“Here we are,” said Henrietta. She took a key out of her pocket—a silver skeleton key on a long black tassel. It was odd in a building like this, Scarlett thought. It must have been renovated. Everything was new or modern except for the doors. Henrietta pushed the key into the lock, twisted and pushed the door inwards. Scarlett followed her inside and stopped short. Before her, in the centre of one wall, was an amazing red velvet curtained four-post bed. The curtains were tied back with gold tassels. Straight ahead was a set of white French doors that led onto a private balcony. Scarlett thought at that moment she must have done something good to deserve this because surely this was not standard living quarters.
Scarlett would have forgotten Henrietta was in the room if it hadn’t been for her tiny musical voice.
“Is something wrong, Miss Scarlett? I hope the room’s okay. Mr Blackbell specifically reserved it for you.”
“Mr Blackbell?” she turned to face her maid.
“Yes, you being a Legacy and all.”
She almost forgot. Of course, being a Legacy meant automatic enrolment in an Academy if your parents or family had previously been students. Her heart sank into her stomach. Being a Legacy also meant backlash, as Legacies were almost untouchable. Legacies received a lot of immunity in the half-yearly exams because they were expected to know The Chronicle back to front and upside down because they were taught most of the topics at home. Nevertheless, Scarlett didn’t want any special privileges. She didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.
“Does everyone know that I’m a Legacy?”
“Most of the professors do.”
Great, she prayed that they didn’t single her out in front of everyone so that she wouldn’t become a walking bullseye.
“You better get ready for lunch, Miss. It starts in twenty minutes in the dining hall.”
“Okay. I’ll be down soon.” She waited for Henrietta to leave before opening the French doors and stepping outside.
The sky had clouded over since the last time she had looked at it, and a light mist of rain was falling—but not so much that Scarlett was in danger of getting drenched. As she tipped her face up to inhale the sweet smelling rain, something caught her eye. Something black was fluttering in the wind just above her head. It was stuck in the balcony railing of the room upstairs. She dragged a metal chair over, checked if it were stable enough to hold her, and climbed up onto it. When she was close enough, Scarlett realised that the object was a large black feather. She plucked it out of the railing and turned the feather repeatedly in her fingers. It was like no Nephilim feather she had ever seen, yet it was familiar, and she was unsure why.
She sauntered back inside the room and closed the doors behind her. She then placed the feather on her nightstand and began to freshen up. She took her perfume out, Heat by Beyoncé, and sprayed a bit here and there. Now she didn’t smell like public transport. She re-tied her crazy hair, which never stayed in place. She pinned onto her black sweater, the brooch all the new students had received—a smaller version of the Blackbell coat of arms.
Leaving her room, she found her way down much easier than the way up. She just had to make her way to the ground floor, three flights down. When she reached the second floor and rounded the corner, she crashed right into one of her professors.
“Whoa. Easy there, you should watch where you’re going.”
“Sorry, sir.” And then she realised it was him, the blue-eyed stranger.
“Please, call me Lakyn. Sir makes me feel so old,” he chuckled.
“Sorry, Professor Lakyn.”
“That’s what my other students call me, but please, I’d prefer it if you call me Lakyn, Scarlett.” He grinned, and it made Scarlett feel uneasy. Was he hitting on her?
“But I’m a student, Professor Lakyn. Now if you will excuse me, I’m going to be late for lunch, someone just struck the gong.”
Three strikes of the gong meant punishments were going to be handed out. At Blackbell, one of the most important rules was never to be late.
“I would hate for you to be punished. I’ll see you in the dining room.” He patted her on the back and retreated up the stairs she had just come down. He seemed different in person than he appeared on TV, but still had the same cocky, over- confident attitude. This was Scarlett’s second run-in with Lakyn Blackbell in one day, and she didn’t want there to be a third. He made her feel uneasy, and she was unsure why.
She entered the dining room, and the wafting smell of food overwhelmed her nostrils. She hadn’t realised she was starving. She made her way along the outside of the room to the front until she found an empty chair. Moreover, she realised too late that all the places up front had name cards on them, and this place was not hers. ‘Dyston Blackbell‘ was s
crawled on the card in delicate cursive—another member of the Blackbell family she was yet to meet. She ended up at the Fourth year student table, which were now giving her strange looks. She apologised and quickly fled to the next vacant seat. She finally found her place at the opposite end of the dining hall amongst a table of other First Year students. As she sat down, she wondered if any of them were Legacies like her.
“Hey, Scarlett,” said a voice, snapping Scarlett out of her daze. She was staring at her minestrone soup entrée while thinking about the feather she had found on the balcony. Scarlett looked up at the Nephilim who was talking to her.
“Oh, hey. Sorry, Kat.”
“Scarlett? Named after your hair?” asked a girl with platinum blond hair and emerald green eyes.
“Um, yes.”
“I’m Emerald, named after my eyes, but everyone calls me ‘Emer,’” she said with a giggle. Scarlett had a feeling this girl loved to talk.
“So are you a Legacy? There are rumours that five Legacies are starting this year, and Del and I have been trying to figure out who they are,” stated Emer, speaking in a rush. Emer whispered into another blonde’s ear—that must be Del, Scarlett thought.
“Um, no, I’m not a Legacy,” Scarlett lied. She didn’t want anyone to know who she was, but more importantly, she didn’t want anyone to take advantage of her or being friends with her because of what she was.
“Well, I’m not afraid to say that I am. I’m Thomas,” added the guy with a black buzz cut and dark blue eyes sitting next to Del. He put his hand out for Scarlett to shake, and she took it reluctantly.
“Nice to meet you, Scarlett,” he said. Del linked arms with him.
“I know you are, baby,” Del said with a smile. Thomas and Del’s relationship made Scarlett feel slightly jealous inside. No one had even been remotely interested in Scarlett. Well, except for Professor Lakyn, but that didn’t count.
“Get a room, guys,” said a guy with curly brown hair and lime green eyes that had just joined their table, which was now full.
“Whatever,” replied Del.
Kat glanced over towards the Fourth Year table that an attractive guy with dark brown hair and a masculine jaw had just joined. He sat next to a guy with a perfectly toned body and sandy hair. Kat’s stomach flipped. Scarlett followed Kat’s gaze and leaned closer to Emer who was on her left.
“Who is that?” she asked.
“Oh, they’re Fourth Year boys, Dyston Blackbell and Jacob Fox.” Scarlett couldn’t even remember if she had replied or at least nodded. Her attention was solely trained on the dark-haired guy who was laughing and joking with the blond one until his gaze caught hers. He was looking at her with a gaze so powerful that Scarlett felt as if she was a piece of metal and he was a magnet pulling her towards him. A nudge to her arm broke the magnetic field.
“Earth to Scarlett!” It was Thomas’ voice.
“Huh? What?” she asked, acting silly. Emer giggled.
“We asked if you know what Talent you’re going to explore,” said Kat.
“Um, I’m not sure yet,” she replied and continued to fiddle with her soup.
Chapter Three
Talent
By the time the main course was being served, Scarlett realised that she really didn’t know what Talent she was going to explore. She had done drama classes in high school but hadn’t been the best actor. She had taken ballet and contemporary dance as a child, but she wasn’t really a dancer—fast reflexes didn’t really stop her awkwardness. She could sing, though. Nothing made her happier than when she was singing, but she refused to sing in front of anyone. It wasn’t just because she was shy, but more because something embarrassing always seemed to happen when she did.
After lunch, Scarlett said goodbye to her new friends and headed back to her room. First year students didn’t have a choice of subjects, but at the end of the year, they were allowed to choose two elective classes. They had to choose wisely as those choices would determine what Talent and Trait they would explore in the future.
When Scarlett reached the third floor, she decided to explore a bit. She climbed the stairs to the fourth and final floor and paused. She heard his voice before she saw him. There was a tone to it that sounded familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. He was singing a song she had never heard before. It was the most extraordinarily beautiful melody she had ever heard. His voice was satin-smooth like chocolate or soft animal, and if it were a solid object, she would want to reach out and stroke it.
She inched closer to the door that it was coming from and listened. His voice was pitch perfect and professional. When the singing stopped, the door’s knob rattled and turned and he stepped out. He was wearing a dark grey Henley shirt, blue jeans, and black motorcycle boots. He also smelled of rain and vanilla. Scarlett was too awestruck and speechless to move so he smacked right into her.
“Ooh! I… Uh, I’m so sorry,” she stuttered. He didn’t step away though. Instead, he moved his hands up to grip her upper arms, not hard though, just gentle enough that she could feel it. His touch felt cool even through her sweater. He looked down at her with a smirk. He stood an entire head higher and his gaze penetrated through her for the second time that day.
“That’s okay, Scarlett,” he replied in a voice as smooth as his singing voice.
His hair was dark brown and his eyes were the most amazing chocolate brown she had ever seen, just a touch lighter than his hair, so edible… wait, did he just say her name?
“How, uh… do you know my name?” she stuttered.
“You have a face that’s hard to forget,” he chuckled. He dropped his hands and stepped out of the doorway, locking it behind him. He then stepped around her, so that she was now standing with her back to his door, and he was standing in the middle of the hall.
“Plus,” he was looking at her again with those eyes. Scarlett wished quietly that he wouldn’t, but at the same time that he would never stop.
“Your hair is the colour of Heavenly Fire. It’s also hard to forget.” He turned and began to walk away.
Scarlett had so many questions. Why did she feel like she knew him? How did he know what Heavenly Fire looked like? You can’t see it unless you unlock the ability to. But she didn’t ask him.
“Wait! You know my name, but I don’t know yours,” she called after him. He froze, pivoted on his boot heel, and looked at her with those eyes again.
“Dyston, my name’s Dyston,” he smiled. Then he turned and disappeared down the hallway. Duh, she knew that.
Something stirred inside Scarlett, she felt drawn to Dyston in a magical way, and she couldn’t explain it. She headed back down to the third floor, hoping she and Dyston would cross paths again soon.
Her first class the next day was Dramatic arts. She loved drama, but even though she felt that this wasn’t her calling, she knew that drama helped you with self-confidence and bravery. Scarlett felt brave but not self-confident. As soon as she stepped inside the classroom, which was more like an auditorium, Joshua and Emer called her over.
“Yoo-Hoo, Scarlett!” sang Emer. Scarlett sauntered over and sat next to her. Emer grinned at Joshua, and he smiled weakly back at her. Poor thing. She was in denial, Scarlett thought.
When their Professor walked in, her Mary Jane’s clicking on the stage, the room fell silent.
“Is that her real hair?” whispered Scarlett.
“I think so,” replied Emer. Scarlett couldn’t help but gawk. Their professor’s hair looked like candy-floss, but with more fuchsia.
“Hello, class,” Their professor began when she reached centre stage. The candy floss-haired Professor wore black slacks, a gold sparkly blouse, and a black blazer with a white lapel. “I am Professor Magenta, but everyone calls me Mag.” There was applause. Scarlett wondered if every time she spoke she got applause.
“Today, you will be learning how to be confident with your peers and with yourself. Now for the first exercise, follow me.”
Mag le
d them into an adjoining room, which was more like a gym. It had a springy floor and punching bags around the perimeter.
“I’m just finishing up, Mag, so don’t mind me,” said a voice Scarlett had heard before. She hadn’t noticed him at first, but using a punching bag in the far right corner of the room was Lakyn.
“Take your time, Professor Lakyn,” said Meg.
“He’s hot!” Emer whispered into Scarlett’s ear.
“Yeah,” was all she could manage. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. She had to admit he did something to her. She shook her head as if to shake away the thought. What was it with those Blackbell boys?
“This is a trust exercise. I want you to pair up.” Mag told the class. Emer immediately grabbed a hold of Joshua’s arm. He looked like he wanted to be somewhere else.
Scarlett glanced around for a potential partner, but her eyes only found Lakyn, who gave her a wink. She quickly averted her gaze and noticed a girl standing by herself doing the same thing as Scarlett. She walked up and introduced herself.
“Hey, I’m Scarlett. Want to be partners?”
“Sure. I’m Diamond, Di for short,” replied the girl. She was petite, a bit shorter than Scarlett, with silvery hair with a hint of mauve. Diamond also had pale greyish-blue eyes. Mixed with the mauve hair, Scarlett thought it was a very pretty combination.
“Can I ask why you were named Diamond?” she asked, as the whole class lined up in two rows facing each other. They were meant to catch their partner to test if one trusted the other.
“Yeah, it’s because I have a tough skin, physically and emotionally. Nothing can hurt me.”
“Nothing? Come on, everyone has their kryptonite.”
“Nope, nothing.” Scarlett didn’t press any further. She had a feeling Di was hiding something from her. Only time would tell, Scarlett thought. They decided to complete the trust exercise in silence.
After each partner had had a turn catching and falling (Emer and Joshua failed because Joshua hadn’t caught Emer in time, which caused her to land on the floor with only her pride hurt), they went back into the Auditorium to finish the lesson.
