ROXANNA.
Seventy-Two Hours later.
The car slowed down and stopped in front of a large iron gate, and Lady Delilah turned to me with a smile on her face. "This is the Academy of Sixth."
My brows pulled together as I stared through the window, unsure if the gate in front of us truly belonged to a school. Apart from being massive and painted black with heavy stones, it looked nothing like an academy. It felt more like an ancient royal castle that had been forgotten by time.
We had been on the road for more than twenty nine hours, only to stop here and be told that this place was the famous Academy of Sixth, the same academy every boy and girl in Zazubat dreamed of attending, yet most of them were rejected again and again.
"You should stick to the plan and everything will be fine, do you understand?" Delilah's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
I nodded and stepped out of the car with my school bag hanging on my back, my heart beating harder than it should.
The driver came out too, pulled my box from the boot, and gave me a small smile. "Good luck, miss."
"Thank you," I replied quickly, because I truly needed all the luck in the world if I was going to survive this academy.
"We will keep in touch. Do not forget Mission X," Delilah said before the window rolled up.
She did not wait for my reply, maybe because there was nothing left for me to say. I was already here to do what I was sent to do.
Mission X, that was what she called it.
I had to kill the most dangerous guy in this academy if I wanted to keep living.
If I failed, Delilah would turn against me without hesitation.
I let out a slow breath and dragged my box behind me as I walked closer to the giant gate. It creaked open on its own, even though there was no security guard in sight, which made my skin crawl.
I walked carefully, my eyes moving around as I searched for cameras, and I was not disappointed. There were many of them watching my every step, and I could feel their presence as I passed by, surprised by how tight the security was in a place that felt almost lifeless.
Did Delilah know about this and still send me here to kill someone so dangerous?
The school grounds were quiet, and the buildings were not far from the gate. They looked like castles built in the early eighteen hundreds, standing untouched as if the world had moved on and left them behind.
There were no students outside, and it was clear that I was the only one resuming today.
A pair of uniforms had been given to Delilah a day earlier, and she handed them over to me before the trip.
The environment was calm and clean, but the silence made it feel like a graveyard, and fear slowly crept into my chest as I stood there unsure of what to do next.
I wore the school uniform, which was oversized and hid my body well enough to confuse anyone who looked too closely. Delilah had shaved my hair completely, saying it would help with my disguise, though I doubted it since it might draw more attention instead.
I also wore blue contact lenses to hide my bright emerald eyes, hoping they would help me disappear into this place, even though nothing about this academy felt safe.
"Hello, are you Rox Gerald?" a student walked up to me with a friendly smile.
He was about my height, with red hair, and he wore a black suit that fit close to his body, neat and sharp, with a white shirt beneath and a black tie pulled tight at the collar. There was something old fashioned about his appearance, like a quiet reminder of England in the eighteen hundreds. The high collar, the firm lines, and the careful fit made him look like a gentleman from another time, proud, disciplined, and hard to overlook.
I guessed he was Zane, my guide.
Delilah had promised me one, someone who would help me settle properly into the academy so I could catch up easily since the semester had already begun a month ago.
"Yes, I am," I nodded, my hand gripping my bag tightly.
"Welcome to the Academy of Sixth," he said and stretched out his hand for a shake, which left me confused.
There was no way I was going to shake his hand. I had this strong feeling that he would notice my fingers and know they belonged to a girl.
"It is okay. Seems like you are not the shaking type," he chuckled as he pulled his hand back, and for a moment, I almost felt bad for him.
But Delilah's voice echoed in my head. No mercy. No sympathy. Protect your interest first.
I had to be smart and not let my guard down like I did with Thane and Kaida.
"Classes are ongoing, so I will help you get registered quickly, then we can return to class, okay?"
"Okay."
"I am Zane. You never asked," he said as he picked up my box and began dragging it behind him.
I rolled my eyes and followed him, my heart beating fast as I tried my best not to limp too badly, even though my legs were already failing me.
Delilah had promised that none of the children from Zazubat studied here, so no one was supposed to recognize me.
Zane walked fast, and since the administrative block was not far, he reached it first and turned around, only to find me struggling to keep up.
I saw the surprise in his eyes when he realized I was disabled, though he tried hard to hide it.
Oh, Delilah. She did not tell him.
"Sorry, can I help?" he came back and offered his hand again, but I slapped it away.
"I will be fine," I told him and continued toward the block.
It took longer than expected, but he waited without complaining.
The registration was quick since I was a transfer student, and Delilah had already explained everything to them.
She had also provided all the necessary documents...the forged ones.
"We are done," Zane said as he handed me the file and picked up my box. "Follow me to the dormitory. You are in my wing."
"I still need an explanation about this wing thing. My aunt explained, but I am still confused," I muttered, even though Delilah never truly explained anything at all.
Her focus had always been on getting Azrael killed and nothing else.
"The academy is divided into five wings," Zane began as we walked through the dormitory path.
I noticed there was no one around. The students here were disciplined and followed the rules strictly, which made the place feel too quiet.
"The first wing belongs to the werewolves, known as the House of Skoll. The second wing, which is ours, belongs to the mages, also called witches. It is called the House of Vespera. The third wing belongs to the vampires, known as the House of Tenebris."
"I see," I nodded, interested despite myself.
Azrael was definitely in the first wing, the House of Skoll.
"The fourth wing belongs to the dragons," Zane continued, his eyes lighting up at the mention of them.
Fear crept into my chest. That was supposed to be my wing.
"They are called the House of Rhaenaxes. They have the least members and the smallest wing because it is rare to find people born with the gift of a dragon."
"Really?" I asked quietly, avoiding his gaze.
"Yes. The fifth wing belongs to the faes and it is called the House of Sunfyre. There are many things you need to learn so you do not get into trouble here, because it will not be funny if you do."
"What kind of trouble?" I asked, unsure of where he was going with this.
"Do not enter another wing unless you are invited, because we are all enemies," Zane said seriously. "I am begging you to stay away from the princes. You should avoid trouble with them because it is the last thing you want."
"Why? Are they dangerous?" I asked as we approached five castle like buildings, each painted a different color, with statues of the creatures they represented placed on top.
Zane was about to answer when a car suddenly sped toward us.
I did not have time to move out of the way, so Zane shoved me aside.
It saved me from being hit, but I landed hard on the ground as the car drove past and stopped a short distance away.
It was a red BMW with the roof open.
The driver was a young man with ash colored hair, neatly groomed like a cap, with a few strands falling over his face.
He reversed slightly without stepping out of the car.
Dark glasses covered his eyes, and his face showed no apology as he stared at us, looking more angry than shocked.
"Were you trying to make me commit murder?" he snapped.
His harsh tone shocked me, even though he was clearly the one at fault.
It was obvious he was one of those spoiled brats who made it into the academy with the help of rich parents.
"You should be the one apologizing to us. Were you blind when you were driving?" I shot back, still annoyed that he could not see his own fault.
That was it.
He jumped out of the car in one swift move, landing on his feet without shaking the door or even opening it.
I swallowed hard, suddenly wondering if this was a bad idea.
I should have kept quiet like Zane did. He remained beside me, shocked and unable to speak, and for a moment I wondered if it was because of the near accident or because of the man standing before us.
The driver removed his glasses and walked toward me as I sat on the ground, my clothes dusty and dirty.
It was the first time I had ever seen such a handsome face. He had the bluest glassy eyes I had ever seen, eyes that made him look innocent even though I knew he was nothing close to that. His lower lip was fuller than the upper one, giving him the look of one of those k pop idols everyone admired. Everything about him looked perfect, from his sharp features to his well built body.
I swallowed again, forcing myself to ignore the fine muscles beneath his clothes.
Damn, he was handsome, but his attitude was terrible.
His brows drew together as he bent closer to me and asked, "Are you trying to act smart with me, bald head?"
"No. I am just being honest with you," I replied.
His lips parted slightly in shock.
He was about to say something when his phone buzzed.
He pulled it from the pocket of his black trousers and stared at the screen for a moment before straightening up.
He walked back to his car and said loudly, "I swear you will pay for this disrespect. Just wait and see what I will do to you."
His words sent cold chills down my spine as I watched him get into the car and drive away.
"Nonsense," I hissed as I struggled to get to my feet.
"Nonsense?" Zane asked, his eyes wide and filled with fear. "Do you even know who that was?"
I shrugged and looked at him, but the fear on his face was beginning to scare me.
"That was Jax," Zane said quietly. "The second eldest prince of the House of Skoll. He is the last person you should be messing with in this academy."
A prince?
Shit.
I messed things up again.