Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 90268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
The teachers and staff were on the same boat. No one reprimanded them for walking in late to class or for disrupting the lecture with nonsense they thought was entertaining. In the lecture halls, they even had rows reserved for them. No one dared sit in them. Not one soul.
They were already reserved.
They cut in line and took over any table, even when people were sitting at it. They’d just get up and move without being told to. Not one excuse me or an apology, nothing. Doors were also held for them, with coffee and food already waiting on their desks.
They didn’t demand respect. They simply expected it. I even watched a professor completely stop his lecture because one of them had to answer a phone call outside.
One thing was for certain: the Graves Academy didn’t belong to its students. It only belonged to them.
Curiosity always got the best of me, so I watched one of the guys named Caspian. He was in my finance class. He was maybe a couple of feet beside me, and my eyes drifted to the crest stitched over his heart.
At first, it looked like the one on mine. It wasn’t. His was replaced with one bearing the initials B.O.B.
The crest was a black shield that framed an elaborate gold thread against his blazer jacket. At its center, a human skull beneath the initials, with a dagger piercing it vertically. There were three serpents around the shield, their bodies forming a protective shield for the emblem. Below the crest was the school's name, but in the corners were other initials.
On the left, it read SNC; on the right, HNP; and, right under the end of the dagger blade, the letters SNT were displayed. On the sides of the crest were the words "Est. 1662" etched.
I subconsciously jerked back, surprised by what I’d seen.
“Find what you’re looking for,” Caspian instantly called me out without taking his eyes off the professor.
My stomach dropped.
For only me to hear, he softly sang, “Curiosity gets people killed around here.”
I sucked in a loud breath.
“Miss Belladonna,” the teacher announced, embarrassing me. “Care to share with the class?”
Heat rushed to my face.
Before I could stammer an apology, Caspian spoke, “I was talking to her.”
The professor’s expression faltered for a second. “My apologies, Mr. Hawthorne.”
After he returned to his lecture, Caspian finally locked stares with me.
Damn… he’s good-looking. Really, really good-looking.
Up close, his defined features were almost too perfect with all the sharp angles of his face. The symmetry was insane, only making him appear more devious and off-putting.
He grinned, leaning forward to my face. Once he was inches away, he whispered in my ear, “Keep digging, rainforest princess.” He got closer, close enough that I could feel his breath on my neck. “As you know, every trail leaves a footprint, and around here, hunters are always watching, just looking for their next prey. Especially when their last name is…” he sang again, “Belladonna.”
I abruptly stood, bringing more attention to myself as I exited the class. I could feel him smiling behind me, loving the fact he got a rise out of me. I hated that everyone was holding secrets to a past I had no idea existed.
Ancient portraits stalked my every step as I walked out of the auditorium into the hallways. Their painted faces seemed to follow me, and I instantly wondered if the Devereauxs and Hawthornes were among them…
Are there more Belladonnas? Do I have ancestry here? What is going on?
Most universities tried to look prestigious. Graves didn’t have to try. It just was. Every hallway whispered sacred history. Every brick seemed to carry lifelong secrets. Every building told a different horror story.
The list of how much I wasn’t aware of and how much trauma was stored was infinite. I felt it all around me. There was no denying it, clawing at my feet. The room buzzed with conversation as I made my way through it. It didn’t stop. More whispers replaced laughter while eyes darted toward me before snapping away.
Every time I glanced out the windows, I could see the building Luna told me not to walk past. Not to enter.
Why?
By the time I walked off campus, I was mentally exhausted. On my way out, I saw Alfred sitting in his SUV waiting for me.
Or was he watching me?
I couldn’t tell the difference.
Once again, I didn’t accept his ride, but that didn’t stop him from trailing me. The quiet walk home was lonely in a way.
Did I make new friends today, or are they pawns of a much bigger game of cat and mouse?
I hated that it felt like I couldn’t trust anyone, particularly my uncle, when he was supposed to be the one I did.
I unlocked the front door. Silence greeted me.
“Tío Luis?” I hollered to no avail.
I dropped my backpack beside the staircase with a heavy thud. The sound echoed through the house, only making it feel that much emptier and more alone.