ST GORDON'S
Gia
St Gordon's impressive silhouette stood against the cloudless blue skies as the car carrying Zach and I drove through the tall wrought iron gates of the school and up the winding road leading to the building.
I was seated directly behind the driver looking out the window with my chin resting on my palm. The interior of the car was comfortable and smelled like leather and pine air freshener. Zachary was slouched low in his seat staring into space. I studied his profile, his long straight nose, sharp jawline and messy dark hair. I was pissed at him because of what he'd just said to me a few moments ago.
My lips pressed into a thin line and I looked away with a huff and crossed my arms and settled deeper into the plush seat.
The pointed arches of the building's gothic turrets and spires reached high toward the heavens. Pigeons and doves sat peacefully on the lentils of stained glass windows and the arched main entrance was flanked by stone lions.
There was a large track field to the left of the main building, and to the right was a beautiful serene lake. The rest of the property was occupied with thick forest that stretched as far as the eye could see.
My mind was filled with intrusive thoughts. How was I supposed to survive in a school where everyone already had an advantage over me? St Gordon's would be full of kids who were already advanced in their mastery of magic while the simplest spells left me red in the face and breathless with disappointment.
The car rolled to a stop at the main entrance. Gravel crunched under my battered sneakers as we alighted from the car.
The chauffeur bid Zachary a very respectful goodbye, bowing at the waist and being overly polite, and he kept calling him 'young master'.
Zachary finally got rid of him and we were left alone watching the trail of dust the car left behind dissipate into the afternoon air.
"I still don't understand why you're so upset with me you know," Zachary said after I blatantly turned away from him and examined the scenery with a morose expression.
His voice reminded me that I still had more problems to deal with where he was concerned which made me want to punch him in his stupid handsome face repeatedly.
I whirled to face him, stepped forward right into his personal space and jabbed a finger against the hard muscles of his chest. I couldn't help but notice the impressive difference in our heights. The top of my head barely reached his chest.
"I just asked you if you still planned on sneaking out of school premises and you said yes! And you wonder why I'm upset?"
His forehead wrinkled with a frown, "Was I supposed to lie?"
I sputtered with indignation. "No, but you should be considerate,"
"Considerate about what?"
"The fact that my life is at risk here!"
He shrugged. He was still wearing his brown cloak, he smelled like open fields and sunshine and musk. It was a pleasant combination.
"Well that's an unfortunate situation, but it's none of my concern."
I threw my hands up in the air out of frustration, "What is wrong with you?"
"No what is wrong with you Gia?" He snapped at me, "Do I owe you anything? Is there a particular reason why I should inconvenience myself because of you?"
"Not letting me die is an inconvenience to you?" My rage was reaching a harsh crescendo and my insides were boiling. "So you'd just let me die because you want to prove you can't be told what to do?"
He stepped even closer with his neck bent so that the tips of our noses were almost touching.
"Exactly." He bit out, his eyes burning, "The High Septon thinks he can use you to control me, but that won't be the case. So honestly, quit trying and enjoy your last few days alive. Because I sure as hell don't plan on sticking around for long,"
We were glaring daggers at each other. My chest was heaving, my nails bit into my palms and I was shaking. Everything was happening so fast. I had so much to process, my entire life had been upended in barely less than a day. And it only looked to be getting worse.
I held his gaze with a determined look.
"I won't let you get me killed," I said. "I demand you stay on school grounds at all times!"
His eyebrows all but disappeared into his hairline.
"You think you can stop me?"
I wanted to say yes, but the truth was that I couldn't. I'd felt the magnitude of his power in that room with the High Council. I was a powerless runt. I couldn't do magic, I had tried. There was just no spark in me. I was dead weight.
We were close enough that we were breathing in each other's air. There was a faint scar on his upper lip and a freckle between his brows.
Who is she? Why is she so close to him?
My head jerked, once again I'd heard a strange voice but I couldn't tell what direction it had come from. When I looked around my heart nearly leapt into my throat.
There was a group of three girls and a boy gathered on the foyer. All of them wore identical uniforms of powder blue dress shirts and navy checkered plaid skirts—pants in the boy's case. At the forefront was a girl with luxurious platinum blond hair and radiant skin. She looked like a runway model with high cheek bones, long legs, and a slender but athletic build. She was glowering at me with open hostility.
My face turned red and I took a step back from Zachary, I didn't know where to look. We'd made quite the scene arguing loudly. Where these his friends? I wondered. And also how much of our conversation had they picked up?
"Nice to see you're back Zach. I've been worried, where have you been? When I got the news that you were being brought back I was so glad," The girl's voice was breathy.
Zach barely spared her a glance, his stoic face was still focused on me. But I was looking anywhere else but him.
The girl's ears turned pink and her eyes flashed with hurt. I felt bad for her Zach was being a monumental dick by ignoring her. But my empathy quickly vanished as she turned her attention back to me. Her eyes went glacial and her pupils narrowed to thin slits like that of a jungle cat.
She eyed me from my battered trainers to my faded blue jeans and ratty T-shirt. I felt like a dirty pauper compared to her flawless appearance.
"I'm Astrid, I'm the head of the shapeshifter student body, also chairperson of the school's welfare committee. I was told we had a new intake, a witch apparently." She sized me up as she spoke, and the minions behind her did the same.
"You're not at all what I expected though. I guess they'll let just about anyone in here,"
She sighed and gave me a faux sympathetic look,
"I'll show you to your dorm room, come," She beckoned as if she expected me to follow after her like a lap dog.
I gave Zach a nervous glance. He was a flight risk, I had to keep him in my sights.
"Uh…actually I think I'll just stick with Zachary here."
Astrid's lips twisted up like she'd been forced to swallow something unpleasant. She spoke with deliberate slowness,
"Zach has been summoned to the Principal's office. You on the other hand are supposed to be shown to your room where you'll wait until you're called upon by the Principal."
I met her cool scrutiny with one of my own.
"If the Principal wants to see me, then I'll be waiting right outside his office until he's done with Zachary,"
"You can't stand the thought of being separated from me can you?" Zach teased with a twinkle in his eyes.
My cheeks burned, I didn't want to say why I had to follow him. But two could play this game. I batted my eyelids,
"Yes you've captured my heart pretty boy, anywhere you go I'll follow,"
He rolled his eyes at me, "Relax Gia, you can go with Astrid. I need to eat and rest, I won't be doing anything I'm not supposed to do today,"
"I highly doubt that," I growled,
The way he'd said Astrid's name was so familiar. Why'd that bother me?
"You have my word," He said with a level of seriousness I was unaccustomed to.
Was it me or did he sound tired? I studied him closer. There was a tightness to his posture and his eyes were dim and his jaw clenched. Was it being back in school premises that'd sapped all the strength out of him?
I gave myself a mental pinch. Why did I care?
I raised a warning finger. "If I don't see you within the next hour I'm coming to find you,"
Zach grinned, "I'll look forward to it. My room is at the top floor of the boy's dormitory, you'll find it hard to miss, and I don't have a roommate so we can have all the privacy we want."
My fingers twitched to make a rude hand gesture. I was not going to his room and he knew that, he just wanted to mess with me. Still a part of me wondered what his private space would look like. And I also realized I was going to have to find a way to prevent him from sneaking out of school while I was asleep.
I exhaled, already exhausted. Zach was going to make my life very difficult.
When Astrid led me away her footsteps were brisk and the heels of her ankle boots clicked against the tiled floors. I hadn't bothered to say goodbye to Zach, she on the other hand had tried and been ignored,
"How do you know Zach?" She asked, feigning casualness, yet I knew she was avidly burning to know.
"We met in town," I said cryptically,
She gave me a side glance but I didn't elaborate more. The story of how I'd ended up on trial in front of the High Council was a little too personal to be sharing with a stranger.
We strode past hallway after hallway. The interior of the school building was a mixture of rustic and modern fixtures. It was a bit disorienting. We'd walk down a particular corridor and it would be brightly lit with electric bulbs, polished wooden floors and even have air condition. And then we'd take another turn and meet burning torches, low hanging wooden beams and rafters and cobblestone floors.
The air was clean and smelled like lemons. The long passages were decorated with portraits of people I didn't recognize.
The only interesting thing that happened was when an owl flew out of a broom closet and another student, a boy, tossed aside his bag, transformed into a large black dog and chased after it. Shapeshifters loved to show off.
I followed Astrid up some stairs, and we branched into a more secluded wing. It was quieter up here. She stopped in front of a door and gestured for me to enter.
"This is your room, your roommate should be coming around soon. I'll leave your basic orientation to her. The baths are down the hall. You should take advantage of them,"
I couldn't argue with her on that one. I waited for her to go but she kept standing, did she want to come in or what?
She crossed her arms, her eyes were eerie, like that of a wild animal. Suddenly I was wary of what she'd do to me in this deserted corridor.
"St Gordon's is a prestigious school. Some of the most powerful children ..from all the factions go here. What's so special about you that you got admitted in the middle of a semester?" She asked.
I gave her a self-deprecating smile. "I don't know. I did some cartwheels for the High Council and they loved me,"
She didn't think I was funny. Her disapproval was in every single curve and dip of her expression.
"I'll figure out what you're all about soon enough." She made it sound like a threat,
"You'll get your uniform delivered to you soon. For now clean up and stay in your room please. I'm late for a meeting." She turned to go and stopped,
"One last thing." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, and the air between us became charged. Her pupils turned into thin slits like that of a wild cat.
"Zach and I have been close all his life, we grew up together. I'd advise to stay away from him."
I started to laugh before she was even done conveying her threat. She had no idea how much I wished right then that I didn't know Zachary Abbot.
Astrid took it the wrong way and her nostrils flared, "Fine have it your way, I can make life very difficult for you,"
I chortled even more,
"More difficult than it already is?" I choked out, wiping tears from my eyes, "Oh I sincerely doubt that. Good day!" I pushed open the door to my new room and slammed it shut behind me.
Silence rang as I checked out the room. One side had a bed with cream colored bedspreads, clothes were strewn all over the place, and the girl's table looked like a paper explosion had took place.
My bed was bare and my side looked lifeless and scarce, just like my whole life had been.
I took a shower in the baths and when I came back to the room there was a new uniform waiting for me. I eyed the clothing before putting it on. It fit perfectly.
I hated sitting around so I decided to explore. I met people and got a few side talks and stares but I powered on. I wanted to find Zachary, I felt much better when I had him within my sights.
I wandered until I got to a crooked winding flight of stairs. At the top, I met a slightly open door. I would've kept going if I hadn't heard a pained grunt from inside, and the voice was familiar.
I slowly peeked in. Zach was shirtless and on his knees, and a tall man wearing a sharp cut silver striped three piece suit used a knife to carve something on the skin of his back while chanting a spell.
I looked on in horror and Zach's eyes met mine, he was in so much pain I could tell. He shook his head as if warning me to go away, but I was rooted to the spot. What kind of school did this to its student?
"Come in Miss Carvel," A stern voice shook me out of my transfixed state.
It was the man wielding the knife. He was looking straight at me, I'd been too distracted by Zach to notice the man had stopped carving.
"Come in, I'm the principal of this school. You can call me Kaius," Blood dripped from the knife in his hand and the wicked sharp edge glinted menacingly.
I didn't have a choice. I steeled myself and walked into the office.