Ivy tightened her grip on the leather strap of her school bag as she walked briskly across the cobbled courtyard.
Morning mist clung to the gothic towers of Velmire University like whispers too shy to speak.
Even in daylight, the place didn't feel completely awake.
"This place still feels like a haunted castle," she muttered.
Beside her, Celeste chuckled.
"Welcome to Day Two of living in a cursed fairy tale."
Their first class was Literature and Symbolism, held in a candle-lit hall known as "The Ink Room."
Ivy half-expected to see ancient scrolls and a ghost professor, but instead, a stern middle-aged woman stood at the front beside a blackboard, arms folded and lips pursed.
"Take your seats," she snapped.
"No assigned sitting let your mind guide your body."
Celeste nudged Ivy toward an empty bench at the back. They sat, and seconds later, students began roaming inside the hall.
"Think we'll read forbidden poetry or decode runes?" she whispered.
"I'm hoping it's less dusty," Ivy said, eyeing the spiderwebbed corners.
The professor clapped twice.
"Today, we discuss the symbols that guide old literature protection marks, glyphs of sacrifice, and insignias once thought to ward off the night."
A shiver prickled Ivy's spine. The night.
Why did it feel like that word carried more weight here?
The professor turned, pointing at a symbol etched on the chalkboard an unfamiliar one, shaped like a crescent looping through a star.
"You," she said, locking eyes with Celeste. "Miss Rowan. What does this symbol represent in classic myth?"
Caught off guard, Celeste straightened. "Um protection from death? Or transformation, maybe?"
The professor paused, then gave a small nod. "Not bad. It's often misunderstood that way."
Celeste exhaled, shoulders dropping slightly.
As class ended, the professor's parting words lingered. "Some symbols only make sense when seen by the right eyes.
Not every student is meant to see."
Ivy's brow furrowed at the cryptic remark, but the moment passed as the room buzzed with students gathering their things.
"Look at you," ivy grinned, nudging her.
"Answering first-day questions like a local."
They parted ways outside the hall. They saw Steven heading to Advanced Philosophy, Celeste to Music, and Ivy to the principal's office for her scheduled communication hour.
Since Velmire had no mobile access or internet, students were allowed one supervised email a week.
The secretary led Ivy back to the musty office and opened the old desktop.
To: Uncle Conrad
Subject: Settling In
Hi Uncle,
Class went well today, I think. The people here are... different. The air feels heavy, like something's watching. But I'm okay. I'll write more when I understand things better.
Say hi to Helen.
Love, Ivy
After hitting send, Ivy walked back toward the library an ancient structure with pillars wrapped in greenery.
Curiosity tugged at her. She stepped inside, expecting rows of ordinary books.
Instead, she was met with aisles of cracked leather tomes, a chandelier of blackened bone-like iron, and an oppressive silence.
She wandered around, fingers grazing spines of the bookshelf until something strange caught her eye.
One book glowed faintly on the top shelf with no label, just a dark leather cover with a silver sigil embedded into it.
The symbol looked eerily familiar. She'd seen something like it in her mother's locket, back when she was a child.
As she reached for it, the air around her seemed to pause.
"I wouldn't touch that if I were you," a voice said.
Startled, Ivy turned but no one was there.
She looked back at the shelf.
The book was gone.
Her heart pounded. Had she imagined it?
That afternoon, her stomach grumbled in protest. "Lunch," she murmured, making her way to the cafeteria.
The grand dining hall was buzzing.
Velvet curtains framed tall windows, and golden chandeliers lit the air above with soft lights. Long tables stretched from one end to the other, each filled with students chatting or snapping photos of their meals with sketchbooks, since no phones were allowed.
Ivy spotted Celeste near the food line and joined her.
"Try the mushroom stew," Celeste advised.
"It's edible. Mostly."
As they loaded their trays, Ivy caught a group of girls pointing her way. One of them, a sleek blonde with glittering nails, whispered something that made the others laugh.
Ivy blinked, confused.
"Watch it, freak," a voice sneered behind her.
Blaire Wyland.
Tall, with an angular face and an ever-present smirk, Blaire shoved past her roughly, almost knocking the tray from her hands.
"I didn't do anything," Ivy muttered.
"Exactly," Blaire sneered.
"Nothing. You don't belong here." piece of trash.
Celeste stepped in between them.
"Back off, Blaire. Go bother someone who cares."
Blaire scoffed, raising his hands. "Whatever.
Just warning the newbie."
He sauntered off, and the tension slowly eased.
"You okay?" Celeste asked.
"Yeah… I just don't get it."
Celeste frowned. "He's always been like that. Picks on people who aren't bending to his world."
They sat with Steven at a table near the far window.
"Ugh, Blaire already?" Steven asked. "You've officially been initiated."
"Great," Ivy muttered. "Do I get a badge?"
"You get soup, and loads of trouble coming in".
Celeste smirked.
Before Ivy could take a bite, the atmosphere in the cafeteria shifted.
Whispers spread like wildfire.
"They're here," someone said breathlessly.
Ivy turned toward the grand archway.
Six students walked in, all dressed in customized versions of the Velmire uniform sleeker, sharper, commanding.
At the center was Lucien Valehart.
His presence was like gravity, tall, pale, with raven-black hair and sharp eyes that held centuries in their stare.
His blazer shimmered faintly, and when he smiled at something one of the others said, a group of girls actually gasped.
"Is that him?," Ivy whispered.
"The Six," Celeste confirmed.
"Each more terrifying than the last."
Valencia was beside Lucien elegant and aloof, her eyes flickering briefly toward Ivy.
One of the others, a guy with frost-white hair and rings on every finger, tilted his head like he sensed something.
"Do they always cause this much drama?" Ivy asked.
Steven snorted. "They are the drama."
As the Six sat at the front of the hall, silence followed. Even the staff seemed affected.
"They're untouchable," Celeste whispered. "Rumor says they were chosen for something ancient. So let me introduce them."
They are basically four seniors
Lucien valehart "seems to be the leader, he is dreadful, scary and helplessly cute.
Valencia D'argon " beautiful queen b, seductive, feared and respected.
Rhet viremonte " troublesome, rebellious and master of chaos" avoid him particularly.
Darian crowhurst "calm, a very good poet and less troublesome".
Bastian kade " protective and weird, loves wearing complex jeweleries.
Maera voss "distant, also weird and obsessively loves black..
In summary, avoid all of them but it seems like you made friends with Valencia" Celeste said.
"We met during my first day we aren't friends" ivy chipped in.
Ivy stared at Lucien.
For a brief second, he looked up directly at her.
Then he smiled.
Not at her, but at Valencia behind her.
Still, the air around her dropped a degree.
She looked away quickly.
Back at her food, she realized something strange.
Her spoon was bent. Twisted.
Has it always been that way?
Blair smirked seeing her confused expression
He used his supernatural power to bend her spoon, intending to pour her soup on her since her attention wasn't there.
"Let me get another spoon" ivy said as she stood up to get a new spoon she was confronted by blair saying "watch your back you just crossed my path, trust me you would regret it."
Ivy in a fit to show bravery replied "would be waiting for your silly tricks dummy"
Blair with furrowed eyebrows scowled at her clenching his jaws. "I will make her suffer".