CHAPTER1
Violet
It’s justa quick ferry ride, and then you’re set.
I swallowed nervously as I looked at the ferry that would undoubtedly take me to my destination—Blackthorn Academy, the one place I’d find all the answers to the questions I was too afraid to ask.
I’d always known I was different, but I thought my differences ended with my pink hair and my curves, not the kind of different that turns inanimate objects into gemstones or that causes those in my proximity to hallucinate.
Growing up in Ireland, the last thing I should have been afraid of was water, but for as long as I can remember, it’s always made me feel uneasy. The deep, dark depths that could swallow you whole, the fact that the sea itself still held so much mystery in terms of exploration... I’d always imagined terrifying, dangerous creatures were waiting for me there, and every time I looked at the waves, my imagination would run off until I’d scared myself practically to death.
“First time?” A voice cut through my mindless spiral, pulling my attention.
I turned to face a sweet, rosy-cheeked woman with long red hair—the natural orangish-red shade that could only come from a long line of lasses—and a bright smile. Her green eyes were soft, but there was something... other about her. Her irises looked rimmed in gold, and her hair blew softly as if it had a mind of its own.
“You’re going to—”
“Delaney Caldecott, second year,” she said as she extended a hand in my direction. I stared at her delicate, fair skin, her lithe fingers with perfectly manicured nails painted gold. Amidst her green sundress, she almost reminded me of a leprechaun. Except, she was tall. Then again, I was perpetually stunted at five foot two, so mostly everyone I came across was taller than me.
Good girls only grow until they are perfect, some just take longer than others, peanut.
My dad’s voice echoed in my mind along with my own inner voice, reminding me I needed to respond instead of driving comparisons between me and the Amy Adams doppelganger in front of me, but it was hard. All I’d ever wanted in life was to fit in, but I never did. Not at home in my small town, at school...
Freakishly natural pink hair, big tits, and tan skin are not good for blending in when you live on a remote isle.
“This is the part where you tell me your name...” Delaney said with a smirk. It wasn’t rude or mean by any means, but almost sort of humorous, and something about that actually put me at ease.
“Oh, uh... it’s Vi... I mean Violet... McCreanor. First year,” I said as I pulled on my luggage strap, adjusting the heavy bag on my shoulders before shaking Delaney’s hand.
“Pleased as punch to make your acquaintance,Vi,” Delaney said with a firm shake, the warmth of her hand enveloping me, soothing my worries.
“I was nervous too, at first, but I promise it’s really not as bad as you think,” she said as she nodded for me to follow her. “You’ll get used to it all,” Delaney said sweetly, and I nodded in agreement as I followed her onto the dreadful ferry, into the unknown.
“Come on, Vi, you can sit with me,” she said as she all but skipped up the ramp separating the ferry from the land. This was it, this was my last chance to turn around and run away. A part of me wanted to turn tail and run back home, to the arms of my father and my cozy little bedroom full of books. But I knew just as well as they did that my answers would never be found in my tiny little rainy town.
Not the answersIneeded, anyway.
So I took a deep breath, grabbed hold of my duffel tightly, and I followed her up the dock, onto the middle deck to a room that looked like a library, set in the middle of the boat. I marveled at the contrast. From the outside, it looked like a standard ferry, but once I walked through the door, it was like I was in a university library, complete with rows and rows of tables with little green lights for studying.
Best of all, there were no windows, which made my sea-wary heart much more relaxed. If I didn’t have to see the waves, perhaps I could pretend I wasn’t traveling on top of them, perhaps I could pretend I was in the city, in the library...
“Wow,” was all I could say as I looked around the room in awe.
“It’s so...”
“Big? Yeah, I know, it’s wild isn’t it? Everything on this sucker is spelled, just like the academy grounds. You a fan of the Doctor?”
“The who?” I asked, unsure what in the world she was talking about.
“Yes! Oh my, who’s your favorite? I prefer Ten,” she said with excitement, but I had to admit, I had no clue what she was talking about.
Instead of admitting defeat to this stranger, I doubled down and threw out a number, something less than ten.
“Uh... I prefer Nine, I guess,” I said with a shrug.
Delaney shook her head, biting her lip.
“Is it the leather jacket?” she asked as she took a seat at one of the tables, dropping her oversized bag to the floor with a thud.
