“You look like a student,” the girl started. “But I’ve never seen you before.”
“Yeah, I’m not from around here.” I gave a casual shrug.
“Obviously.” The girl raised a sneer. “I’m Gabriella Ciar. Gabby for short. This is my first year at Arcanea University. Yours as well?”
“Yes.” I didn’t give her specifics, but my accent gave me away.
“You’re an American.” Gabby narrowed her eyes. “I just got back from vacationing in Ibiza. Italy’samazing. I expect you’ve never been out of the country. You’ve got a lost puppy-dog look about you.”
One of the twins made barked behind her hand. The other laughed. My, they had this down to a system, didn’t they? I wasn’t impressed.
“Morgan, don’t embarrass me,” Gabby snapped. She rolled her eyes. “Your taunts are like a child’s. Get some class.”
Morgan cringed. The other twin reached out to touch her sister’s arm, but Morgan yanked it away.
“I’m fine, Melissa,” she mumbled. Melissa frowned and stared at the carpet. Gabby smiled slightly.
I was able to tell them apart now, because I noticed Morgan had a tiny scar around her eyebrow that Melissa didn’t have. It had also taken me two minutes of conversation to see that Gabby often pitted them against each other. What a great friend.
Gabby crossed her arms. “Since you don’t know, let me give you the rundown of how thingsworkaround here,” she snarled. “My family has power. Since I don’t know who you are and have never heard of you, I’m guessing you’re a nobody. That makes you not worth my time. So stay out of my way, or I’llmakeyou.”
“She’ll probably bond with a weak Companion,” Melissa suggested. Morgan giggled.
“As long as she doesn’t bond with any onedecent,” Gabby added. “I’ll let you know right now, the top picks of the men are mine. You can have the scraps once I’m done choosing. My family’s been waiting for me to make my match for years, and you can be sureI’llhave the best mate.”
I drew myself up straight. No way was I going to let this go down without a fight. My bite was worse than my bark. “Those are a lot of tough words. Sure you can back them up?”
Gabby scoffed. “Please. Can you evendomagic?” Gabby raised an eyebrow. Her two clones did the same behind her. Holy hell, did she program these girls to follow her around and copy her every move?
“Not yet,” I said. “But it’s probably best you have a head start, because it won’t be long before I embarrass you with what I can do.”
Gabby’s mouth opened slightly. Yeah, I said it. Didn’t regret it, either. Girls at the rink back home knew better than to mess with me. She’d learn, too. I didn’t have any idea how to do magic— wasn’t even sure if I’d be good at it. But I wasn’t about to let this girl push me around.
Gabby quickly rearranged her face and sneered. “You’re overconfident. Let’s see how long it lasts. The new meat doesn’t last long around here.”
She shoved past me. Her friends followed, their noses turned up so high that if it was raining they’d drown.
Great. Gabby was the first person I’d managed to meet in this place who went to my school, and she was a total bitch. I hoped not all Arcanea were like that, but I didn’t count on anyone being friendly. I was an outsider, after all.
Calm down, Emma.Day one, and I was already making enemies. It was so like me. My presence was usually enough by itself to piss people off. I couldn’t lie when I said I liked starting trouble. I had a problem keeping a handle on my big mouth. It liked to open before my brain usually caught up with it. Oops. Sorry, not sorry. I’d learned a long time ago that if you wanted to survive, you had to fend for yourself or get eaten alive.
I wondered what she’d said about Companions. Gabby acted like she was going to waltz into school and handpick the best guy to be her mate, but according to Lady Magdalina, that’s not how it worked. You didn’t choose your mate; the magic chose for you. It was supposed to be some deep, everlasting bond that transcended the laws of nature or some shit like that.
I thought everything Lady Magdalina said was woo-woo nonsense, but after I met Gabby, I hoped I didn’t end up getting left out. I was worried that no one would pick me and I’d be the loser cat lady for the rest of my life.
Still, I felt bad for the poor guy that got stuck with Gabby’s ass for the rest of his life.
I still ate my smushed pastry, because fuck Gabriella Ciar. And it tasted pretty good. When the train finally stopped, I got my bag and disembarked. I was left standing on the edge of a platform made of cobblestone, in a bustling station of tan brink and tall pillars, a glass ceiling hundreds of feet above my head.
I turned in place, unsure of where to go next. The signs were in Malovian, and I had no idea what direction the school was in. I glanced at my map again, but it didn’t help. I wasn’t very good at reading maps in high-stress situations, and this was one of them.
Without being conscious of it, I looked for someone to help me. My sight fell on a young girl around my age. She looked like a student. She was wearing an expression that seemed… I don’t know… confused. Her form was lithe, skinny and athletic. She was wearing an oversized, light-pink sweater that had fuzzy wisps coming off of it, along with pale skinny jeans and fur boots. Her blonde hair was almost pale-white, and she had these giant glasses on her face that extended from her cheeks to her forehead. They looked a little ridiculous and cute at the same time. Her makeup was done lightly, but professionally. She carried a duffel bag that was just as fluffy as her sweater.
The girl’s face lit up when she saw me. She ran toward me, hauling her fluffy bag. “You’re just the person I was looking for!”
“I was?” I asked, completely caught off guard.
“Yes!” she exclaimed excitedly. “I had a feeling I was waiting for something, orsomeone, but I didn’t know who or why, yet here you are and here I am!”
