EMBERHOLD ACADEMY
“Could this day possibly get any worse?’ I muttered to myself as I rushed into the main hall of Emberhold Academy. I knew that saying that out loud was tempting fate to prove that it,in fact, could get worse.
My day started perfectly, but it quickly went downhill. I’d slept well and got dressed with plenty of time to spare. (That’s highly unusual for me.) Then someone delivered breakfast from Java and Jam to my dorm, my favorite place to eat on campus.
Unfortunately, that’s where everything took a turn for the worse.
My roommate Selene was a bitch. There was no other way to put it. From the first day we met, she’d been a real piece of work, criticizing everything about me. I was too short, my hair was too pale, my eyes were too close together-blah, blah, blah. You name it, she had something shitty to say.
Lucky for me, I was a reasonably confident girl. Everything she said went in one ear and out the other. I knew the drill. Everyone here was super competitive and wanted to form the most powerful Faction.
Why some Aurathions thought you had to tear each other down to do it was beyond me. If you followed the ways of our ancestors, you knew there were certain people out there just for you—no need to step on each other to find them. We should be straightening each other’s crowns, not trying to rip them off.
The less I responded to her, the worse she got. I’m sure other girls crumbled in the face of her bullshit, and when I didn’t, her shitty behavior escalated.
This morning, she truly outdid herself.
“Those donuts are for me.” Selene scowled as I walked back into the dorm.
“That’s odd because the card on the box clearly has my name on it.” I tried to hide the smugness I felt, but her expression revealed that I had failed.
“Let me see!” Selene attempted to grab the box out of my hands.
I dodged her grabby hands and walked into the tiny kitchen, setting the container on the counter. I pulled the little card off the front and offered it to her.Adelaidewas written clearly across the front of it.
I arched a brow, “I told you.” The need to punch her in the face was becoming nearly impossible to resist.
“I can’t imagine who would send you breakfast. Especially with me as your dorm mate. No matter.” She rolled her eyes, “It’s obviously out of pity, knowing you're bound to stay a Passive.” A wicked grin spread across her face.
I’d become familiar with the look and tried to step out of the way but didn’t do it quickly enough. Selene pretended to stumble and poured her coffee all over me.
“What the hell?” I screeched as the hot liquid soaked through my shirt and burned my chest.
“Enjoy your breakfast. You'd better get changed before you’re late for class.” The bitch sashayed out the door with a massive smile on her face.
Now, I was in a rush, trying to make it to my biology class. I finally turned down what I believed was the correct hallway.
Despite being here for a few weeks, I still felt lost. The place wasenormous. I’d taken a tour when I first got to Emberhold, but I was notoriously bad with directions.
I glanced at my schedule that I held clutched in my hand to confirm I was on the right track. I hadn’t been paying as much attention to my surroundings as I should have because I was planning my revenge on Selene… then I ran into a wall.
“Shit!” I cried as my ass hit the floor and my bag flew out of my hand.
A deep voice growled, “You really shouldn’t use that kind of language.”
I looked up, preparing to give this guy a piece of my mind; then I froze. My first thought was that I must have a concussion from the fall because I was seeing double.
“I don’t know brother, there’s something about such an innocent-looking girl speaking like a seasoned sailor that does it for me.” A guy who was identical to the first grinned.
The twin who was the first to speak offered me his hand to help me up. When we touched, I felt a tingling run from my hand up my arm. I let go so quickly that I fell again, but before I hit the floor, the second guy grabbed my arm and kept me standing.
The tingling started again, but this time instead of resisting, I leaned into it. Was it possible that I’d just met two potentials? Was I Nexus?
“My name is Jesse. What’s yours?” The grin had fallen from his face, replaced by a look of awe.
I blushed, “Adelaide Hawthorne.”
He kissed the back of my hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Adelaide Hawthorne. Can we walk you to class?”
