It was Jane’s first day at her new school, and she felt… worried.

  Worried because of the unknown - new hallways, new faces, new everything. Would she ever find a friend? Would she accidentally mess something up?

  But she wasn’t scared. Adaptability had never been the problem; her mother had blessed her with this ability.She knew how to get along with anyone, how to say hello. The hard part was keeping it up.

  Jane adjusted her uniform.

  The tailored burgundy felt heavy over the soft blouse. She rolled her shoulders, trying to settle the fabric and relieve the slight pressure against her neck. A black ribbon sat neatly at her collar, buttoned all the way to the top, at least for now, and paired with a three-leaf-shaped brooch.

  It was undeniably pretty, but Jane didn’t like the red gemstones. The longer she looked at it, the more uncomfortable it made her feel.

  With one deep breath, she stepped through the gate.

  The academy appeared before her - a huge castle made of clustered towers, weathered by centuries, untouched by decay. Trees and walls of trimmed grass carved the vast courtyard into intimate gardens, softening the emptiness of the grounds.

  The stone benches were cold with no one warming them, and not one single student stood in the wide ground. The only person she had seen was the guard, who had pointed her toward the dorms.

  Jane was confused by the silence until she remembered the odd timing of this place. She was the anomaly here for being this early, which made what she was about to do next worse.

  Jane tentatively pulled the handle of her suitcase.

  Rumble.

  The rough sounds of plastic wheels on cobblestone spread across the space like an alarm. Then, another one, and another one.

  Jane gritted her teeth and walked faster, running from the echo that stuck to her footsteps. Why did her mother also pack like she was never gonna come back?

  After a combination of dragging and lifting, she finally reached the dormitory.

  It sat at a far corner of the academy, right across from a dense patch of forest. Jane was already imagining all the things she could do in nature, take a short walk, getting some fresh air, or nothing at all considering how most her day spent.

  Her room was on the third floor, high enough to feel like a climb, and low enough to exclude the mid-way resting.

  Jane pushed the door. With only two suites per floor, her expectation was high, but the reality was even better.

  Inside was a spacious shared living room, a bathroom that hadn’t been closed, and two white doors she assumed led to the bedrooms.

  There was also a large lump on the sofa.

  Jane removed her shoes and adjusted them with her feet. Her arm was trembling from holding the suitcase five centimetres off the floor, and she didn’t want to come back just to wipe off the dirt.

  She then tiptoed inside, hoping not to wake her roommate, but the effort was wasted. A messy head peeked out from the pink blanket, stared at her with a barely opened eye, and retreated into the warmth.

  Well, Jane thought. Introductions can wait.

  She moved into her bedroom. Everything had been cleaned; all that was left was unpacking. It took her just enough time to finish before the main event.

  Tonight was North Wing Academy’s welcoming ceremony, or more accurately, a speech by an old man in a big hall. Even here, speeches were boring.

  Jane wiggled in her seat. Her but was going numb.

  “The President of the Student Council will now have a few words.”

  The principal clapped as he made the announcement. His eyes almost disappeared under the folds of his cheek.

  She could feel the energy shift to something more exciting. Students perked up like a garden after a rainstorm.

  A figure moved toward the podium with the precision of a soldier whose sharpness was hidden under a pair of glasses. The black uniform, embroidered with gold threads, set him apart from the sea of red blazers.

  The room, loud just a moment ago, went quiet under his influence.

  “Good evening, new and old students of North Wing. I hope this year brings you both growth and accomplishment. As tradition stands, the Student Council will host a ball tonight to welcome the new term. We look forward to your presence .” He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. “And remember: curfew begins at 12 a.m.”

  A ball?! Great. She had brought nothing to her new school except a few T-shirts and pants. Maybe a couple of extravagant blouses, but nothing close to a ball gown.

  She was walking back to her room when she saw her roommate already awake.

  “You didn’t go to the ceremony?” Jane asked.

  “No. Everybody knows the main event starts at 12.” She giggled while standing in a sea of fabrics. Sunlight poured through the window, turning her hair into threads of golden pink.

  “What about you? What are you gonna wear?”

  “I don’t know …. probably nothing? I didn’t even know there was going to be a ball.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Her roommate raised both eyebrows, clearly surprised by this new information. Those wide, amber eyes made it easy for Jane to catch even the slightest expression, from the glance on Jane’s chest to the squint that followed.

  Before Jane could say anything else, her roommate shoved a dress in her arms.

  “Here, try this on. I’m not gonna wear this anyway.”

  Layer after layer of soft blue and green formed a delicate ombre across the corset, while the lower half unfolded into a darker blue skirt. A matching lace veil covered Jane’s hair, turning her into an offering to a merman.

  “Just as I expected,” the girl said, her eyes sparkling. “This suits you way more than me.”

  “Thanks …” Jane let the word hang in the air just long enough to signal that it was time for a proper introduction.

  “It’s Amelia. Amelia Rosenberg,” she said loud and clear while stepping forward to fix Jane’s dress.

  ***

  They arrived at the ball on time. Amelia had already slipped away to find her friends, leaving Jane to walk around the room.

  The ball was held in a part of the castle that Jane hadn’t explored yet. High ceiling, heavy velvet curtains, and intricate patterns down to the floor. Like every other student, her outfit matched the setting perfectly, thanks to Amelia.

  She quickly spotted the refreshment table lined along the wall. Jane hadn’t eaten anything since she said goodbye to her mom at the school’s gate.

  With a plate in her hand, she retreated to an empty table in a corner where no one really cared.

  Jane took the first bite. The creaminess of the butter paired nicely with the salty cold meat on the bread. Then came the main dish, scallops and duck meat.

  Something was off.

  The scallops, despite their glistening appearance, tasted like nothing. The duck wasn’t too bad, just slightly cold, and they hadn’t quite gotten rid of the duck smell. Maybe some people enjoyed the freshness of the ingredients.

  Just when Jane thought tonight would end with another cup of chocolate mousse, her table was joined by a student. Tall, well-put together. This school really didn’t seem to have anyone with a bad appearance.

  He gave Jane a polite nod before sitting next to her.

  “It is a slow night, isn’t it?” He started the conversation.

  “I guess so.” Not like she would know what a fast night looked like.

  “Would I be wrong to guess you enjoy dessert?” He asked while glancing at her plate. It was painfully clear that he was trying to find a topic.

  “Yeah, somehow it is better than most of the dishes today.”

  Talking about food with someone who didn’t seem to eat anything wasn’t exactly delightful. He sat there, swirling his wine glass, the liquid traced a perfect circle up to the rim before sliding back down again.

  They got into another moment of silence. People were starting to leave, yet every time Jane considered excusing herself, he managed to find a new topic. Eventually, the conversation lasted long enough for the lights to dim.

  He stood up and offered her his hand, music filled the space behind his back.

  “Shall we?”

  It shouldn’t hurt to accept, right? It was just a dance except for one small problem.

  “I don’t know how to dance... or waltz,” Jane admitted awkwardly.

  “Please, don’t worry. I will guide you.”

  One hand grabbed hers, the other settled firmly around her waist. He hadn’t lied when he said he would do the dancing.

  Jane kept spinning to the rhythm with her whole body weight resting in his lead. Even when she tried to follow on her own, she couldn’t. The music grew faster and sharper like they were in the middle of a workout instead of something from a movie.

  “Was I ....on.... a battlefield,” Jane muttered between her breaths. She had been trying to keep up with his pace, including getting dragged around like a doll.

  “This is only the first part.”

  Jane’s mouth opened in disbelief.

  Before she could gather her thoughts, he released her. Another student immediately caught her hands and pulled her into the rotation.

  Faces came and went as abruptly as they began, a dizzying carousel of strangers. Throughout the rotations, her gaze stayed fixed on one detail: the pins on their chests. At Jane’s height, looking at their faces was giving her neck pain.

  Most wore the same pin as Jane, or a star variation embedded with diamonds. She counted maybe one with a lightning shape. But none of the students wore the glass pin. Odd, considering she’d seen a few of them earlier.

  With one last spin, the world stopped. She found herself back in the arms of her original partner.

  From somewhere above her head, his voice came down.

  “You are tired, aren’t you?” He said, looking as fine as ever.

  She stared back, her mouth forming a stiff line. What she really wanted was to faint right here and be magically teleported back to her bed. She shouldn’t have let his good appearance affect her decision hours ago.

  The lights deepened to a warm glow while a slow classical melody began to fill the air. It could’ve been romantic if they weren’t strangers.

  Leaving right now would be unnecessary, so she used him like a resting pole, leaning slightly until her strength returned.

  Suddenly, without a sound or warning, he leaned in.

  Something brushed against her neck, like an ant crawling on the skin, except when she glanced, there was nothing. Just his breath.

  Her back arched instinctively, creating a stiff wall between them. She hoped he would pick up on the signal she was sending, but he didn’t move.

  She tried again, with words.

  “You’re a bit too close. Can you…move back a little?”

  The boy, whose name she forgot to ask, didn’t answer immediately. He stared at her. There was a hint of surpriseon his face, mixed with annoyance, though the faint glow in his eyes made it impossible to tell if he was angry or amused.

  Just when Jane thought something would happen, he stepped back.

  “My sincere apologies. I got a little caught up,” he said.

  But the peace didn’t last long.

  As he moved to draw her back into the frame, his grip faltered. Jane’s heel caught on the smooth floor, and she stumbled. The pull she expected never came in time.

  “Sorry, I couldn’t see the—-”

  Oops, a very passionate couple.

  She stood across from the boy, who was hiding his face in the girl’s neck so she couldn’t see what he was doing. His hand, tense and abnormal, was gripping the girl tightly, like he wanted to crush her bones.

  That detail caught Jane’s eye and made them wander longer than they should have. If she had turned away just a second sooner, she might have spared herself a lot of trouble. Stay naive, but ultimately the same outcome.

  The light swung through where they stood, lifting the veil that had been hiding all the filth.

  His mouth was stretching unnaturally wide as it clamped onto the girl’s neck. Veins rose like red worms beneath his pale skin, pulsating with the movement of his throat. His cheeks flushed pink, either from the thrill or the blood rushing into his system. His pointy ears twitched with each swallow, flicking up and down like they were picking up some signal.

  Jane quickly looked away, trying not to “wake the lion”.

  But the scene kept replaying in her head until it was replaced by something even worse.

  The whole room was submerged in waves of blue and purple, like a castle underwater. It might’ve been beautiful, hypnotic even, if Jane could ignore the horror unfolding around her.

  Everywhere, they climbed onto each other like wild animals. Some fed alone; others formed herds. Their eyes glowed like the pins on their chests while their teeth sank deeper and deeper into flesh. Thick streams of blood ran from the corners of their mouths, dripping onto the marble floor.

  Jane gasped for air. She could taste it in her mouth – damp and rusty.

  “Calm down.”

  The voice came from her partner, but he wasn’t talking to her.

  “Shut up and drop your stupid role-playing already!” The other boy raised his head, blood coloured his lips, and went right back to his meal. His prey had already closed her eyes, limp in his arms.

  The focus shifted back to Jane.

  “How about I give you a fifteen-minute head start?”

  He smiled – the most genuine, no, the biggest mouth she had ever witnessed. His fully-grown canine flashed under the swinging lights, daring her to start the game that she had no intention of participating in.