I stood nervously, contemplating how to proceed with my introduction.
"Everyone, this is the new member of Azure," Sienna declared, and I looked up, unsure whether to curtsey or not.
"Oh."
"I see."
"Okay."
Their lack of enthusiasm couldn't have been clearer. I swallowed, feeling even more anxious.
"Introduce yourselves," Sienna ordered, smiling.
"Clove Bailey."
"Leonard Roland."
"Skye Grey."
"Phoenix Iona."
"Wolfe Vermilion."
They all introduced themselves half-heartedly. I just wanted to retreat to my room.
"Now, new student, introduce yourself," Sienna prompted. I gripped my dress momentarily before letting out a sigh.
"I'm Faina Alden. It's nice to meet you," I said, trying to sound confident. Everyone looked up simultaneously, then glanced at Sienna, then at Keith, and back at me.
"Alden?" Wolfe queried.
"Yes, did I forget to mention that?" Sienna interjected.
"Alden," he muttered.
"Sienna, a moment please," Clove said, rising abruptly. I watched as she and Sienna exited quietly.
"Why didn't you say anything?" she exclaimed. "An Alden in our midst—how is that possible? I've never heard of a Faina Alden. I was so careless. Even Vermilion didn't know. What do I do?"
"You're not exactly quiet, Clove; we can all hear you," Keith interjected.
Clove returned to her seat with her head bowed, and the others fell silent.
The chef entered quietly, served everyone, then left and returned with the remaining dishes, all without a word.
"Let's eat," Sienna said, unusually nonchalant. Was she purposely trying to ease the tension? Wasn't she feeling as awkward as the rest of us?
We ate in silence. I struggled to eat, consumed by self-consciousness.
"So..." someone ventured, breaking the quiet. We all looked up.
"Faina, why did you start early?" Clove inquired.
"I... uh... I wanted to," I replied awkwardly. "I mean, there was no need to delay."
"Faina Alden," Wolfe muttered to himself. "I need to... No one told me... I don't..."
"Vermilion, how do you not know your potential future leader?" Clove interrupted.
"I don't know," he said, glancing at me.
"Let's focus on our meal and not make the newcomer uncomfortable," Phoenix intervened, offering me a supportive smile. I looked down, folding my hands together.
"But..." Wolfe began, then fell silent.
We resumed eating quietly. Once we finished, the chef entered silently, watching us, and cleared the table.
"I need to clarify something. You're Lady Myra's daughter, right?" he asked, and I nodded. "Why didn't she tell me her daughter was coming here? I had no idea there was an Alden in the special grade," he remarked, surprised. I hadn't known there was a member of the Alden vassal family here.
"I wasn't interested before, but now I am," Clove said. "What's the story?" she asked, and I stared at her, perplexed.
"What story?" Wolfe queried.
"There has to be a reason. Why you arrived early, why you're so quiet and reserved for an Alden, and why nobody knew," Clove speculated.
"Keep your gossip-seeking nose out of her business, Clove," Wolfe warned.
"Already overstepping boundaries she hasn't been given," Clove retorted, rolling her eyes.
"That's enough, both of you," Phoenix interjected, standing. "I have something important to attend to. Please excuse me," he said, then left.
"I was hoping we could all familiarize Faina with the dorm rules," Sienna suggested, and Phoenix stopped, turned back, and quietly resumed his seat without protest.
"What is there to know?" he asked.
"The wagers?" Sienna suggested. "I already mentioned the chef's bet, but I'm sure you can all think of others," she said, relaxing in her chair.
"Don't interfere with anyone's studies," Leonard remarked after a long silence.
"Leo's very strict about that," Sienna added.
"I can't think of anything else. Stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours. We usually don't have time to bother each other here," Skye added.
"It's your duty as a member of Azure to disdain Crimson and Scarlet members," Clove stated, and everyone murmured in agreement. Why?
"Don't get involved with them; they're our rivals," Wolfe added.
"If you happen to know anyone there, that's fine, but ultimately, they're still your rivals," Clove continued. "Every member of this dorm is expected to outshine members of the others," she concluded. No one explained why.
"It'll be interesting," Phoenix remarked, and I nodded.
"Oh, one more thing—you can address anyone however you like," Sienna added, to which everyone grumbled in disagreement.
"You can't," Leonard interjected firmly. "While I don't mind being called Leo, that's the extent of it."
"I don't think there's anything else she needs to know," Skye remarked.
"You're right," Sienna conceded, pondering. "Our housemaster..."
"A complete slacker."
"Freeloader."
"Irresponsible."
"Irrelevant."
They all voiced their similarly critical opinions of the housemaster. Was he really as bad as they claimed?
"You'll undergo assessments in two weeks, right?" Wolfe asked, and I nodded.
"Ah," Clove exclaimed.
"I'm curious about your height," Keith remarked with a smirk. Was he still here?
"I wonder what your magical status will be," Leo said with a hint of interest, the first I'd seen from him since entering the room.
"Expectations will be high," Wolfe stated knowingly. I knew all too well.
"By the looks of it, she might be dormant," Leo speculated.
"Why don't you all share your magical statuses with her so she can become familiar?" Clove suggested.
"First, she needs to understand what magical status is," Wolfe insisted.
"Magical status, or ranking, indicates the level of your innate magical abilities and potential usage," Leo explained, cutting off Wolfe. "There are different ranks: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, and Platinum, in that order."
"I'm a Gold rank," Wolfe declared, and I nodded, impressed.
"I'm Silver," Skye added.
"Same," Phoenix chimed in.
"Gold," Clove stated.
"Diamond," Leonard revealed. Everyone turned to Keith, who casually responded,
"Oh, am I included? I'm a Diamond rank," he said, as if it were inconsequential.
"Platinum rankers are rare, but Sienna is..." Leonard began, but Sienna interrupted.
"A Platinum ranker," she confirmed with a smile.
"Bronze isn't as low as it sounds, but there are ranks lower than Bronze—collectively known as 'Rocks.' Then there are those with innate magical ability who either haven't awakened it or can't use their magic, called 'Dormants,'" Leo explained. I suspected I was a Dormant.
"Understand?" Sienna asked, and I nodded.
"I'm curious about your ranking. Special grades are usually awarded after the assessment; being a first-year, I'm interested," Skye said, causing me to shrink in my seat. Her comment made me feel more pressured than anyone could imagine.
"You should look forward to the night after," Clove said.
"What's so special about it?" Leo queried.
"They announce the special grades; you get to meet new people and identify potential foes early," she listed, none of which sounded appealing to me.
"That's nothing special," he retorted.
"You get to meet people and enjoy one blissful night before the intense years ahead," she explained. I was perplexed.
"Special grades don't get breaks like other students; our schedule may seem less intense now, but it's still stress-filled," Sienna clarified, as if reading my mind. "In two weeks' time, you'll hardly see anyone; then it gets intense again," she said, eliciting groans from everyone.
"Don't worry; it's not as dire as Sienna makes it sound," Wolfe reassured me.
"It's just sleep deprivation, exhaustion, headaches, and possible stress-induced nosebleeds," Skye added ominously.
"Don't scare her, Skye," Sienna chided, though the damage was done—I was already frightened. "You'll enjoy being a special grade, especially in Azure," Sienna assured me, and I nodded, imagining what life in this place would be like. Would it be a living hell?
"You must have made quite an impression on the administration to be selected, so hold your head high," Phoenix encouraged.
"She had two recommendations," Sienna revealed, though no one seemed impressed. They probably thought I didn't deserve it. "But she opted to take the exams—every single one," she added.
"All of them?" Wolfe asked.
"Yes, quite impressive, right? She scored the highest in the initial exam—ninety-eight percent," Sienna boasted. Please, no more.
"Ninety-eight? How?" Leonard queried, standing up.
"That's not all," Sienna continued relentlessly.