Chapter 1
LOTTIE
A swirling blue portal hovers in the air in front of me, ready to take me to the next part of my life. I'm nervous, but excited at the same time. I've been working towards being able to head to university for years, and now it's finally happening.
"All right, so, I guess this is it," I say to my parents, brushing some of my hair out of my face and accidentally knocking one of my antennae as I do. It bounces slightly, but I manage to ignore it.
Dad nods and pulls me into a hug, being careful not to crush my wings in the process. I do the same for him. They can survive a lot more than a hug, but spraining a wing is painful, and neither of us wants to risk that.
"I don't know why you're doing this, Lottie," Mum says as I turn to her.
"I want to be a lawyer," I remind her.
"You're too pretty to be a lawyer." She stretches her wings as she says it, as if trying to prove her point. "You're a fairy."
"Why can't I be a fairy and a lawyer?" My irritation is already building. We've had variations of this conversation more times than I can count.
Mum sighs in a way that says she still doesn't get it, but it doesn't matter. In about ten minutes, I'm going to be at Rosewood and ready to study. There's nothing she can say to change my mind about that.
"Right, so, I'll see you soon?" I say, looking between my parents.
"Let us know if you need anything," Mum says. "You can come home at any time you want."
"I know." But I'm not going to. I say my goodbyes and turn towards the portal. The magic from it makes the hairs on my arms stand on end, and my wings lift slightly in response to the tingles.
I take a deep breath and step through. It's not the first time I've travelled through a portal, but I've not done it that often, and most of the time, it's not to go to somewhere as important as Rosewood. This is going to be the start of the next part of my life.
There's no sense of time within the portal, but I know it's only taking a few minutes for me to get to the other side. My skin tingles where the magic touches it. I don't know how portals work, but it's a peculiar experience to travel through one.
My head is spinning by the time I reach the other side of the portal, and it takes a moment for it to wear off. Around me, there are several other students, some of them arriving via portals, some seeming to walk through the front door to my left. I'm almost disappointed that the portal has led me to the inside of the castle, and I haven't been able to see it outside.
The inner stone walls of the castle rise above me, but the lighting makes it feel warm and welcoming. As does the chatter of those around me. It's everything I want it to be, but it also gives me a sense of nervousness. Do I really have what it takes to be here? I dismiss the thought immediately. I know I'm good enough to be here. I got the grades, and my application was approved.
"Welcome to Rosewood Academy," a woman with brilliant blue horns says when she sees me.
I give her a nervous smile, hoping that it isn't as obvious as I think it is that I'm a little out of my depth.
"What's your name?" she asks.
"Lottie. Erm, Charlotte Haynes."
She nods and goes to a box of files, flicking through them until she finds one that presumably has my name on it. "Here you go," she says. "There's your schedule, welcome packet, a map of the academy, and your room assignment."
"Thank you," I respond, taking it from her.
She looks over me, seeming to pause for a moment on my wings. "Flying within the castle is prohibited."
I nod. "Okay."
"There's information in your welcome packet about how to fly outside to reach each of the castle's floors if that's what you prefer."
"Thanks." It's nice to think that I might be able to stretch my wings, especially if it can also mean avoiding the crowds of students within the building.
The woman turns her attention to the arrival behind me, a guy whose skin looks like it's made of stone. I ignore the exchange and pull out the top sheet of paper, looking at where my room is so that I can go find it. Hopefully, my luggage will be waiting there for me after I sent it ahead yesterday.
I check the map and find the right staircase. The steps are carved from a huge block of stone, but they're wide enough for people to pass one another. Which makes sense. The academy serves all kinds of beings, and has to be built in order to deal with tails, wings, and horns, amongst other things that I can't even imagine.
My wings twitch in response, but I know there's nothing I can do about it when I can't fly inside the building. It's probably a good thing, considering I can hear other students up ahead, and I don't want to knock anyone with my wings by accident. The muscles in my legs are burning by the time I reach my floor, and I take a moment to catch my breath. I don't think that I'm out of shape, but I'm starting to consider it after the climb. Hopefully, I'll get used to it after living here for a while. Or I'll just fly up the outside of the building instead.
