7. Raven

7

RAVEN

Ifix the tie around my collar, hating the restrictive feeling instantly, while eyeing my reflection in the floor-length mirror propped in the corner of my room. I slept hard last night, harder than I expected, considering I’m in an entirely new place, but I clearly needed it.

After seeing all four of my new housemates topless, I was hoping to give myself some relief in the shower, but there was no time. Which means I’m going to be carrying this sexual tension around with me all day. I’m going to have to get used to it, though, because I don’t imagine sleeping with one of them would end well.

It’s just my luck that I’m rooming with four hot guys, all in their own right, who have chiseled abs, defined Vs trailing down beneath their waistbands, and tight asses. I’m so screwed. I’m going to need all of the strength I can muster to get through the day. The reality of how long I’m actually going to have to cope is an issue for another time.

Brushing my hands over my blazer, I’m good to go. I look foreign to my own eyes in the navy and gold uniform. The polished black shoes and white socks finish off the look, while my navy skirt falls mid-thigh. I hope we have alternative clothes to wear during active classes because the skirt is far from ideal for that.

I’ve secured my hair in a ponytail on top of my head and done my usual make-up routine: light foundation, concealer, a touch of bronzer, and a coat of mascara on my lashes. Finished with a touch of blush and a swipe of my nude lip gloss. I reach for the bag I found on my bed yesterday and head for the door.

I startle when I find Creed leaning against the wall beside it but he doesn’t even flinch. “How long have you been standing there?” I ask, hoping he missed me ogling him. The uniform is a stark contrast to the loose jogger shorts and no tee from earlier, but he’s still hot as hell.

He shrugs. “Do you have your schedule?” Nodding, I dig into my bag to find it and he takes it from my hands before replacing it with another piece of paper. “We have most of the same classes together anyway, but that’s a copy of my schedule so you know where I am,” he states, returning my schedule.

“Thanks,” I breathe, starting to feel the nerves of the day thrumming through my veins.

“Are we leaving or what?” The sound of Brax’s voice makes me whip my head around to the front door, where I find him standing beside Eldon and Zane. They’re all dressed in their uniforms and I have to fight the urge to fan my cheeks.

What the hell is wrong with me?

“We’re good,” I muster, tucking the sheets of paper away in my bag before falling into step with Creed and the others as we head outside.

Silence settles over us as we take the path toward the main building and I notice a few other small groups of students heading in the same direction. Despite my best efforts, I don’t miss the subtle glances our way, but I can’t decide if they’re eyeing me as the new kid or checking out the men surrounding me. My money is on the latter, especially if the soft giggle from the group of four girls in front is anything to go by.

“I didn’t realize I was rooming with campus royalty,” I tease, a grin tugging at my lips as I nudge Zane beside me.

He rolls his eyes dramatically as Eldon chuckles, glancing over his shoulder to peer at me. “What can I say, Little Bird? You’re in the presence of greatness.”

I wrinkle my nose as Brax shoves his elbow into Eldon’s gut with a grunt. “Not when you say cringy shit like that.”

“Sorry about Eldon, Raven. His ego needs deflating sometimes.” Creed smiles, knowing his words are an understatement for the man leading the way. Eldon scoffs.

“My ego is just fine, but if you want to talk about something big, I can redirect our—”

He doesn’t get to finish that sentence as Brax elbows him again. “You’re making me cringe. Shut the fuck up.”

Eldon pouts, looking back at me for sympathy, but I shake my head at him instead. I can’t get past the contrast between the funny man before me right now and the guy who warned me not to bring trouble to his door yesterday. They’re opposite ends of the scale.

The large arched entryway into the academy looms ahead and I tilt my head back as we step through it, staring up in wonder at the intricate carvings that line the stone walls. How can somewhere be this pretty when Shadowmoor is so…gloomy?

“What’s the first class?” I ask, feeling a little anxious as we walk through the cream and gold marble hallway. The pathway isn’t as clear now as more and more students linger around, but they seem to shuffle to the side slightly for my housemates and I’m just lucky to be in the middle of them. For first years, it’s surprising they seem to have such a presence.

“The History of Silvercrest and the Eliven Realm,” Zane offers, placing his hand on the small of my back as he guides me to the left when we reach the end of the corridor. Heat blooms at his touch, rising up my spine and sending a shiver through my core. His head whips to mine, eyes wide, and he looks as startled as I feel. A moment passes between us, leaving me breathless, before he quickly pulls his hand away.

I choke in a sharp breath, aiming my gaze straight ahead as I will my body to calm down from his touch.

“Hey, baby.” A girl’s sweet and sickly voice travels through the air over the hum of everyone else and Eldon stiffens in front of me. It’s only slight, and if I wasn’t standing right behind him, I’m sure I wouldn’t have noticed, but it seems to ripple through the other guys as we stop.

He doesn’t respond, just a nod as he turns into the room on our left and the others follow him. Creed swings his arm out for me to follow after Zane and only then do I see the pissy look on the girl standing by the door. Her brunette hair falls in perfect waves around her face, highlighting the green of her eyes, while her red-painted lips turn up in a sneer the second she lays eyes on me.

My back stiffens and my fists clench, ready to defend myself like I would have done back in Shadowmoor, but Creed nudges me through the doorway before I can make a move.

“Hey,” I shout-whisper, glaring at him over my shoulder, but his face remains as impassive as ever. “Why did you do that?” I push, still slowly stepping forward even though I have no clue where I’m walking.

“Do what? Save you from an unnecessary shit show?” He cocks a brow at me, irritating me even more, but the sound of my name distracts me.

“Raven. Hey.” Leila stops me in my tracks as she smiles wide, offering a slight wave in greeting.

“Hey, can I sit with you?” I blurt, overwhelmed by the presence of my housemates and needing some space.

“Uh, yeah. Are you sure, though? I told you yesterday—”

“And I didn’t tell you that people usually hate me on sight so, if anything, we’re a perfect fit,” I retort, interrupting her, but my harsh words only make her relax and she smiles with a nod.

“Okay, well, I usually sit—”

“You’ll sit here.” My forehead wrinkles as I glance over my shoulder to see Brax pointing at the table in front of the one he’s at with Eldon.

Pursing my lips, I shake my head. “I appreciate you guys helping me out, but now you’re throwing out orders and demands like I have to listen and I don’t.”

The room goes quiet around me, my gaze locked on Brax’s as his eyes narrow.

“You will sit here,” he repeats slowly, like he didn’t hear a damn word I just said, and I sigh.

“It’s okay, Raven. Let’s just sit there,” Leila murmurs, linking her arm through mine and pulling me the remainder of the way to the table Brax is insistent on.

I want to argue and assert my independence and put the asshole in his place, but when I glance around the room, I realize everywhere else, bar one other table, is already taken. The table where little Miss Pissy from outside is standing with her friend beside her and they’re both glaring in my direction.

Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I’m about done with all the judgment and orders being thrown my way, but the professor steps through the door and gains everyone’s attention. Pissy One and Pissy Two take their seats, leaving me with no choice but to take my own. Leila quietly takes the spot to my right as I drop my bag to the floor.

“Who’s that girl over there?” I whisper, leaning into Leila as she follows my line of sight.

“That’s Genie. She’s… awful.” Leila quickly drops her gaze, busying herself as I glare at the back of her head for a second longer until Creed clears his throat. He’s seated with Zane at the table to the right of Brax and Eldon, and when I look back at him, he’s giving me a pointed stare.

I want to shove my finger up at him, remind him that they talked about this crazy bitch this morning, yet he wants me to do nothing to defend myself. I don’t care if she hasn’t actually made a move yet. The trick is to swing first before they get a chance. I prefer the upper hand, even if I am out of my depth.

“Good morning. If everyone wants to set up, we will be doing a heavy overview of the Eliven Realm and the different towns, cities, and surrounding areas today,” the professor explains. “We’ll be doing a comprehensive test in a few weeks and you’ll want the information for review.”

Thick brown leather-bound books appear on the desks in front of everyone, me included, and I jump in surprise. A feather-tipped quill appears beside it and I watch in a mixture of shock and awe as Leila runs her hand over the front of the book and it flips open to a blank page. The quill floats in the air, hovering above the parchment, just like in the receptionist’s office yesterday.

Glancing around the room, I watch everybody else do the same thing and my heart sinks. How the fuck am I supposed to explain why I’m not doing the exact same thing too? Nothing yells “I’m a Void” more than not using magic to do a menial task like this.

My heart rate picks up, but I still reach for the book, which has Raven Hendrix etched in gold along the front, and open it up to a blank page. Avoiding the quill, I dig out the pen I placed in my blazer pocket before leaving my room and steady my hand over the paper, ready to write.

“As I’m sure you’re all aware, Eliven Realm is comprised of six main areas. Silvercrest is the most central point. North of here, you have Haven Court, Amberglen, and Pinebrook. Leaving Ashdale and Shadowmoor as our more southern regions.”

“You mean the poor regions,” Genie says with a laugh, and anger vibrates through my bones. A few other students chuckle along with her but, to my surprise, the professor doesn’t join in.

“Actually, Genie, each part of Eliven plays an important role. If every part of our realm were the exact same, it wouldn’t exist.”

What does that even mean?

“Why?” Genie’s friend asks with her face scrunched in disgust.

“That’s what this class is for, Harper. If you two could keep your mouths shut for a minute, you might learn something.” I bite back my own smile as the room rumbles with laughter again while noting everything he has said so far.

“What are you doing?” Leila asks, frowning at me and where my hand rests on the book.

“Oh, I retain information better this way, that’s all,” I rush, and although she stares at me funny for a few more seconds, she shrugs and turns back to the professor. I sigh with relief.

“Shadowmoor and Ashdale are the closest gateways to the Basilica Realm. They remain dark, torn, and on the verge of breaking to protect Haven Court. Just as Amberglen and Pinebrook shield the capital.”

My hand pauses, my mouth falling slack as I glance up at the professor. He says the words so casually, like there isn’t death and despair ripping Shadowmoor apart, and it pisses me off.

“Why are they left in that state? What about the people who live there?” I ask, unable to stop myself. I may not have enjoyed my time in Shadowmoor, but nobody does. There’s no way out, and it seems that’s just how they like it.

Everybody glances at me, eyebrows raised at my question as the professor clears his throat. “Miss Raven Hendrix, correct?” I nod, finally taking him in for the first time as he stands with his hands gripping the lapels of his tweed blazer. Flecks of gray tint his otherwise dark hair and the stubble on his cheeks is at least a day old. “Well, Raven, the Basilica Realm continues to believe the rest of our realm looks like that too. It’s how we’ve managed to keep them at bay for so long.” The pride in his tone is apparent.

“But what about the people who live there? Why don’t they see any benefits from that? They don’t receive any reward for living how they do. That hardly seems fair, especially if they’ve played such a big part in defending our realm like that.” I’m pushing, I know I am, and he’s obviously not the right person to be asking, but the anger is gnawing away at me.

He fixes his glasses on the bridge of his nose. “I don’t have the answers to that, unfortunately. All I have is the knowledge to empower you in your journey. What you do with it beyond this institution is none of my business.” My eyebrows pinch together. That’s not an answer to my question at all, but before I can breathe another word, he turns away from me and continues with the lesson. “Each part of our realm has outposts for us to defend our beloved home. They have played a successful role in fending off attacks and keeping any power-driven leaders from other realms from trying to take our lands. Another factor in our success is the well-trained students of Silvercrest Academy. Our investment in your training ensures the security of our borders.”

What a load of bullshit. Instead of trying to blow air up our asses to inflate our egos, maybe he should explain in more detail why any of this is necessary. But what the fuck do I know?

I barely register anything else he says, too hung up on the fact that I was living that life for fourteen years, never truly understanding why things were such a struggle. The feeling of helplessness that claws at you is undeniable in Shadowmoor, and everyone else seems to be aware of it. More than that, they’re intentionally crafting it to stay that way in order to defend themselves and their beloved capital.

It’s bullshit.

Straight. Up. Bullshit.

Not a single person here knows the Hell that place has become. I’m not saying they don’t have their own demons, but they have a roof over their heads, endless food on the table, and above all else, they have a sense of hope that doesn’t exist there.

A bell rings out, startling me from my inner turmoil, and I watch as everyone starts to stand. The books and quills are gone so I quickly drop my pen back into my pocket and rise to my feet.

“Are you okay? You seemed to space out there,” Leila says, concern etched into the pull of her eyebrows as she looks at me.

“I’m fine, just lost in thought. I’m trying to catch up with all of this, that’s all.”

It’s not a lie, but it’s also not the entire truth. No one needs to deal with my wrath, especially not her, since she’s been nothing but friendly to me since I got here.

“No worries. Do you have ordnance training next, too?” she asks, happy to leave it at that, and I smile. I love it when people don’t push for information they don’t require. It only makes me like her more.

“She does,” Creed interjects, and I glare at him. I’m still annoyed about earlier. I don’t need him inserting himself into my conversations too.

“Let’s go then,” Leila chirps, a grin on her lips like this is amusing to her or something. I freeze a little when she links my arm again, but we fall into step and head for the door.

Thankfully, Genie is nowhere to be seen as we leave, but a guy plants himself in my way before I reach the door. He has curly blond hair, crystal blue eyes, and a toothy smile that spreads wider when my eyes lock on his.

“Hey, Raven, right? I’m Finn,” he offers, tucking his hands into his pants pockets as he rocks back on his heels.

“Hi.”

“Are you settling in okay? I can be your unofficial tour guide if you like. Maybe I could show you around after classes. We could grab some food, go to—”

“Fuck off, Finn.”

My eyes squeeze closed at the sound of Zane’s voice cutting him off. When I blink them back open again, I find Finn and Zane in a glare-off. I turn further, hoping to get Eldon, Brax, or Creed to put a stop to it, but I only find them holding the same feral snarl on their lips too.

What even is my life right now?

Side-stepping Finn, none of them pay attention to me, so I use that as my opportunity to hightail it out of there with Leila chuckling as she holds on tight to my arm.

“I knew it would be exciting with your arrival after meeting you yesterday, Raven, but holy hell, the double dose of drama surrounding you is crazy.”