Page 17 of Vicious Knight

She has the same build as me but is slightly taller and looks like my opposite with her smoky-eyed Goth makeup.

I scan her little puff-sleeved dress edged with lace and quickly realize she looks like a living Lolita doll.

She has the sort of delicate beauty you’d find on a doll anyway, so it suits her.

She walks up to me, her smile brightening. “Hi, I’m Isabelle.” She stretches out her hand for me to shake and I take it.

“Hey there, I’m Ivy.” I try to sound as confident as she does.

“Good to meet you.” She nods with enthusiasm like it really is good to meet me. “I saw you this morning at Myrrdin House. I live there too. I’m also taking English literature as a minor.”

“Oh wow, then I’m especially happy to meet you.” It’s refreshing to meet someone who not only lives in the same dorm as me but will be going to the same classes.

“What are you majoring in?”

“Music. I play the piano.”

She looks thoroughly impressed. “I absolutely love the piano. They have the best music degree here so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

“Thank you. I’m looking forward to it. What’s your major?”

A spark of pride comes into her eyes. “Art.”

I could have guessed that. She has that artist vibe. “I love art. My mom and I are always going to exhibitions.”

“I do that with my Dad too. Did you want to grab coffee together? You looked like you were trying to find the coffeehouse.” She glances at the map in my hands.

“I was.” I sigh, relaxing my shoulders. “I’m in desperate need of a quadruple shot of espresso. I missed everything yesterday, so I’ve successfully managed to piss off the Theta Alpha president.”

Her smile fades and she bites the inside of her lip. “God, my condolences in advance. Tiffany can be an absolute bitch.”

My stomach twists. “Is she really that bad?”

“Yes. I went to high school with her and let’s just say we all celebrated when she graduated.”

“Damn. That doesn’t sound good.”

“Try not to worry.” She attempts to school her disdain by making her voice sound positive. “Tiffany and her lackeys were born bitches. You just have to know how to maneuver them.”

“Here’s hoping I can.”

“Come on, let’s get that coffee then we can head back to Myrrdin for the meeting. Oh, and I’ll introduce you to my friends. They’re the best bunch ever. We’ve all known each other since high school, so we’ve been crazy together for years.”

“They sound great.” I smile back at her but talk of friends reminds me how alone I am here. At least I’m making friends now.

“You’ll love them.”

“I’m sure I will.”

We head to the coffeehouse and sit at one of the tables outside on the terrace. There we talk and talk and talk, and it’s as if we’ve known each other for years.

Isabelle tells me about her friends, her family, and her art. I learn that she lost her mother when she was young and that her father is the principal of Raventhorn Academy in New York.

She also explains to me that because her mother was of Knight descent and her father from the Bratva, she had a choice of what she did here in regard to where she lived and even in joining the sorority. She chose the Knight route because it would be more prestigious for her and her family.

I have no such choices because Levgen is a senior Knight. Listening to Isabelle talk with such excitement makes me feel like I’m the only student here who would have preferred to attend a normal college, free from the Knights.

After an hour I loosen up enough to tell her about my family—as in the parts I can tell. Then somehow our conversation switches to our favorite foods.

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