by MJ Prince
Despite my mood, even I can’t deny how scenic the route is. The limousine crosses one of the many bridges which connect Arcadia to the neighboring islands. I realize that we’re heading towards the small island with the cluster of majestic looking buildings atop a plateau that I had seen from a distance that first day on the beach.
The bridge seems to go on forever, the silhouette of the island in the distance, not seeming to get any closer. But finally, like a veil being lifted, I can see the moonlight illuminating the small island at the end of the bridge. There is a large forest on one side of the island and a wide, rocky beach on the other. The only road through the island is the one leading from the bridge, winding up over tall cliffs to the large plateau overlooking the beach and ocean beneath it. The island appears uninhibited, apart from the large, sprawling buildings on the plateau. From this angle, the tallest building seems to almost touch the moon.
The scene is like a picturesque postcard of a deserted island getaway. But of course, I know that it isn’t an island resort on top of that cliff, but a boarding school for the insanely wealthy.
When we reach the plateau, I can see that the buildings look very much like how you’d expect a boarding school to look. Not that I’d actually ever seen one, but it isn’t difficult to envisage.
There are trees lining the buildings which are separated by sprawling lawns and green spaces. The tall building that I saw from a distance, looks like the main campus building and it’s flanked by smaller buildings on each side. There is what looks like apartment blocks, which are probably the student dorms, near the main building. Further away, just at the very edge of the plateau, I can see that there is a large mansion overlooking the rocky beach beneath. I find myself wondering what the building is.
I notice as we pass through the campus grounds, that the place is deserted and silent, apart from the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs below. Magnus tells me that classes don’t start until tomorrow, so most students won’t be arriving until then.
I find myself thinking that it all looks so normal. I don’t know what I’d been expecting. Maybe a medieval castle with a drawbridge and a moat, with magical dragons circling and students flying around on broomsticks, learning how to slay dragons. But instead, you could mistake the campus for some ivy league university, or at least what I think an ivy league university looks like.
I expect the limousine to head towards the student dorms but it heads in the opposite direction instead. Towards the mansion at the edge of the bluff.
“Where are we going? The dorms are over there, aren’t they?” I ask.
“You’re not staying in the dorms.” Magnus replies.
“I’m not?” I shoot him a puzzled look.
“No. Dynasty heirs have always had their own halls of residence.”
I look up at the large mansion up ahead as the realization dawns on me and I think I feel sick.
The limousine stops in front of the large marble-paved drive way, but the last thing I want to do is get out of the car.
“This is Sovereign Hall. It’s where you’ll be staying,” Magnus says, although through the churning in my gut, I’m finding it difficult to concentrate on his words.
I can’t believe I didn’t make the connection up until now—the Dynasty heirs have always attended Regency Mount Academy. Magnus had said this earlier, but I’d been too busy protesting about the very idea of going to a boarding school, that I didn’t even consider that I’d be going to the same boarding school as the spoiled brats that I’d met at yesterday’s ceremony. The very same brats who each made it clear that I’m not welcome here in Eden, let alone their high school.
I feel like hurling when I realize that not only will I be going to the same school as that asshole who had basically threatened me yesterday, but I’ll be living in the same halls as him, too, along with all of the other rich pricks who apparently hate me for just existing.
“Here are the keys to the Evenstar suite. I arranged for your things to be sent in advance and your class schedule should be on your dresser.”
“Oh, god.” I cover my face with my hands.
“What’s wrong?” Magnus asks.
“I can’t go here—I can’t live there.” I gesture to the white marble pillars and the large gold leaf double doors.
“I don’t belong here.”
Magnus sighs in frustration.
“We’ve been over this, Jazmine. This is exactly where you belong.”
“You don’t understand.” I’m almost pleading now.
“The Dynasty heirs hate me—they made that pretty clear at last night’s ceremony.”
Clearly the courteous bowing had fooled everyone but me, because Magnus looked utterly perplexed.
“What are you talking about?”
I’m silent for a long moment as I deliberate whether to tell him about the less than friendly welcome that I’d received last night from the heir to the throne himself. But something inside me is stopping me. I’d taken care of myself since I was seven and I sure as hell don’t need Magnus to start fighting my battles for me now. I can handle myself.
“It’s nothing,” I say finally. You’re right. I’ll be fine.”
Magnus regards me for another moment, suddenly looking uncertain.
“Are you sure it’s nothing?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Don’t worry about it.”
“Good. Here, take this.” He hands me a cell phone and I don’t even know why I’m still surprised. I begin to ask how the hell they have cell phones here on Eden, but why wouldn’t there be? This place being a mirror of Earth and all.
“I’ll call to check up on you. But I’ve added my number on here, so call me if you need anything.”
It feels strange having someone care enough to actually check up on me or to have someone give a damn about me at all. I haven’t had that since I was seven and although it feels alien, I can’t deny that it chips away at my walls and I can feel some of the icy exterior that has built up around me throughout the years, thawing.
“Thank you,” I mumble. The words are barely audible, but Magnus hears it.
“You’re very welcome, Jazmine,” he replies with a wistful smile.
7
I’ve never set foot inside a boarding school before, but I’m pretty sure that Sovereign Hall is like no other student hall. The gold leaf double doors open out onto a cavernous, marble-floored reception room. A modern, all-white open plan kitchen and dining room flanks the reception on one side, and a living area with plush velvet couches and a large marble fireplace flanks the other. The far wall is lined entirely with glass and opens out onto what looks like an indoor swimming pool, with another wall of glass beyond that looking out onto the coastline below.
I crane my neck to look at the glass chandelier which hangs over the reception hall and the curved white marble staircase leading up to the rooms above. The ceiling is impossibly high and I wonder where it stops.
Upstairs, the first floor splits into two wings. I take the left wing and read the gold plaque on each set of double doors as I pass. Aldebran, Aspen, St. Tristan and finally Evenstar. I’m guessing the other heirs are rooming in the other wing. I’m less than thrilled to find that the St. Tristan suite is directly across from the Evenstar suite. In fact, the thought that I’m going to be living across the hall from the jackass that is Raphael St. Tristan for the entire year, makes me sick to my stomach.
I step into my quarters to find a large suite which is three times larger than any bedroom I’ve ever had in all ten of my previous foster homes. In fact, the room is probably larger than most apartments. A king size, four poster bed fills the middle of the room. A plush purple velvet chaise lounge sits between the large floor to ceiling mirror and marble top dresser. But the best feature has to be the black marble fireplace at the center of the living area, with the plush black faux fur rug sprawled in front of it.
I’m also pleased to find that in addition to stocking the closet, Magnus has also
arranged for a full array of art supplies. A pile of blank sketch books perch next to a large wooden easel and there are shelves full of pastels, paints and blank canvases.
I drop down onto the enormous bed and for a moment, I can almost feel grateful. But there remains the fact that no matter how nice my surroundings, there is no changing the reality that I’ll be spending the entire year living with a bunch of spoiled pricks who hate my guts.
I hate the first day at a new school. I should be used to it by now, this being the eleventh one. But I’m not. In fact, this one is probably the worst one yet by far. I expect the curious glances, but what I don’t expect are the whispers and the open disapproval. I expected to just drift through this place in the usual way—keeping my head down and being as invisible as possible. But it becomes painfully clear, from the first moment, that it isn’t going to happen. Not here.
I’m puzzled, because no one here knows me or at least they shouldn’t. But I have a sinking feeling that the spoiled pricks who are now my new hall mates, have something to do with my notoriety. Thankfully, I haven’t seen any of them yet, and this place is big enough that I can hope that I can get through the year without crossing paths with any of them. All I have to do is sneak in and out of Sovereign Hall when they aren’t around. It was easy enough this morning, because the mansion was still empty when I left for class.
I let out a sigh as I pass through yet another hallway where the students literally step back as I walk past, as if I’m the carrier of some contagious disease. I school my expression into staying blank. But I can’t shake the feeling that I really don’t belong here.
Everything about this place screams wealth and privilege—from the marble floors and wood paneled halls, to the prissy uniforms. I’ve never worn a school uniform in my life, but here I am walking through these fancy halls wearing a crisp white shirt, black pleated skirt and dark grey blazer with a golden Regency Mount crest embroidered on the front pocket. It’s the same uniform as all the other students are wearing, and yet I still feel like a total outsider.
My first class is calculus, and I feel eyes on me as I walk through the room. I take my seat at the back, and I’m not surprised when the desks around me stay vacant.
“This seat taken?” a quiet voice startles me and I look up to see a brown-haired girl standing at the desk next to mine. Her dark brown eyes dart around nervously as she shifts from one foot to the other.
“No, it’s all yours,” I reply, eyeing her curiously. I’m not sure why she’s choosing to sit next to me, when the rest of the student body seems to be treating me like a leper.
I turn back to my blank notebook, but I’m surprised when the girl next to me speaks again.
“I’m Dani Larch,” the girl says after a moment, as she settles into the desk next to me.
I don’t reply at first, trying to figure out this girl’s intentions. She has the kind of honest face that makes you want to trust her instantly, but my trust issues make it difficult for me to do that.
“Didn’t you get the memo about staying away from me?”
The girl looks perplexed.
“No …”
She looks around the room, and notices the looks being thrown my way. I expect her to get up and find another desk. But she doesn’t.
“Oh, you must be Jazmine—Jazmine Evenstar, right?”
“How do you know my name?” I ask, quirking an eyebrow.
She looks slightly guilty then.
“Word spreads fast around here—and the word is that you’re the secret heir of the Evenstar Dynasty that they’ve been trying to track down, for months now.”
I nod slowly. It still doesn’t explain the less than welcoming behavior.
“Is that all?” I ask. I’ve never particularly cared what people thought of me, but I may as well know what I’m dealing with here.
Dani looks guilty for a moment, but I give her another nod of encouragement.
“Look, I don’t give a damn what people think of me. But I guess I should know now, so I can prepare myself.”
She lets out a sigh.
“Okay, well the Dynasty heirs …”
She trails off as she looks towards the classroom doorway. I follow her gaze to see the flawlessly beautiful girl with the bright blonde hair saunter into the room. Her skirt is about three inches too short, making her impossibly long legs look even longer and the guys in the front row are practically salivating at the sight. The girl is clearly aware of it, too—she knows she’s beautiful, and she knows how to use it to her advantage.
Those gem-green eyes fix themselves on me as soon as she enters the room, and a look of distaste mars her otherwise flawless features. So, the girl clearly still hates me for whatever unknown reason. Fine.
I return the look with a pitiless glare of my own, and those green eyes flare with indignation. As if she can’t believe that I would even dare to look her in the eye. Well, she has no idea who she’s messing with. Part of me thinks that I probably shouldn’t be doing that to someone who is probably more than capable of blasting me away with some freakish power in the blink of an eye, without even breaking a sweat. But I’ve encountered enough high school mean girls to know that the only way to deal with them is to nip the power trip in the bud from the get go.
I notice that the bitch queen isn’t alone. The short haired girl, who I remember from the ceremony as Keller, flanks her on one side and the other girl, who I think is called Ivy, is on the other. They both flash me a look of displeasure as they spot me at the back of the room. I don’t look away.
Beside me, Dani is visibly cowering. She probably regrets taking the seat next to me.
“That’s Layla Delphine—the heir to the Delphine Dynasty,” Dani whispers as Layla turns away. She’s like the queen bee here at Regency Mount.”
“Yeah, I guessed that part,” I reply, rolling my eyes.
“Keller Aspen and Ivy Hemlock are her two BFFs, and they’re also Dynasty heirs.”
“Right. Got it—queen bitch and her two cronies.”
Dani’s eyes widen in response, and I can’t help but smirk.
The teacher walks in then and the class quietens down.
All of the desks in the front row are taken, but Layla chooses an already occupied desk, and immediately, the offending student gets up and scuttles away to the back of the room like a terrified mouse. Keller and Ivy follow Layla’s example.
I look up at the teacher, who is a middle-aged, stern looking, woman. She watches the scene with a passive expression, as if this sort of thing is totally normal.
“If you didn’t already know—the Dynasty heirs rule Regency Mount. They’re untouchable—even the teachers are scared of them.”
I didn’t know. But I guess now I do, and with that realization comes the sinking feeling that it’s going to be one hell of long year.
We have a pop quiz for the first lesson, which means no talking and I’m grateful for that. I find out pretty quickly that Magnus hadn’t been lying about the schooling being the same as on Earth. Calculus sucks ass on both planets, it seems.
When the bell rings, signaling the end of class, I pack up my stuff and walk hurriedly towards the door. I’m no coward, but I’d like to avoid any sort of altercation on my first day.
Unfortunately, Layla has other ideas. I don’t see that Dani is following me until I hear Layla’s voice behind us in the hallway just outside the classroom.
“Well, if it isn’t the pauper and the bastard whore.”
I feel myself bristle at her words and I turn slowly to face her.
“Say that again, bitch?”
I hear a round of audible gasps, and I then I notice that an audience has formed around us, as students on their way to their next classes stop to gawk at the showdown.
I feel my face burning at the attention. I was hoping to avoid this, but if she wants to bring it, I’m not about to back down.
She steps closer to me, and I stay rooted to the spot. Dani has moved to stand
beside me, but is visibly shaken.
“I said, you’re a whore and a bastard,” she replies, crossing her arms over her perky chest.
I roll my eyes in response. I really don’t have time for this shit.
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know that your daddy fucked a dirty human, and that you’re his dirty little half-human bastard.
“I also know that you’re a whore and that before you came here, you were turning tricks for a dollar. God, I knew the Evenstar Dynasty was desperate for an heir, but I didn’t think it would ever sink this low.”
I don’t know why her words surprise me. After my encounter the other night with the king of all pricks, I’d guessed that these bastards had clearly been trying to find some dirt on me. Still, I feel like ripping this girl’s hair out and clawing that smug smile off her perfect little face. But I force my breath to slow instead. She wants me to lose it, but I’m not going to play into her hands. It doesn’t mean I’m going to let her get away with it either. So I step forward until I’m toe to toe with the bitch.
“Please, honey, the only whore I see around here is you. Pull your skirt down and button up your shirt, because no one wants to see your ass and tits—it’s tacky as hell.”
To accentuate my words, I reach out and button up one of the buttons on her gaping white shirt, smirking as I step back.
Layla’s face turns crimson with rage, and I hope embarrassment, too. Next to her, Ivy looks just as furious, but Keller just quirks an eyebrow. I get the feeling that nothing much shakes this girl.
Layla is sputtering, grasping for a comeback, as whispers break out in the crowd around us. I don’t wait around for the response as I turn on my heel and walk away.
Screw these bitches. I’m hoping that it will be enough to put them in their place and make them leave me the hell alone for the rest of the year. But I have a sinking feeling that this is only the beginning.
