Page 50 of Angel Lost

This doesn’t feel like a campus. I heft my ratty bag higher on my shoulder and crunch slowly down the path until a building comes into view.

It’s a stunning mix of pale limestone and large wooden slats weathered to a soft gray. The wood adds a rustic charm to the modern elegance of the place. Vines and creeping jasmine trail from the roof and eucalyptus scents the air. Water fountains on either side of the entrance cascade into sleek water troughs filled with koi. The place is living, breathing. Beautiful.

I climb the few plain steps to the doorway. Floor-to-ceiling glass panels flank the entrance, offering a glimpse of soft lighting and yet more greenery inside.

This place is like a luxury spa retreat. Not that I’ve been to one. I swallow my nerves. I’m the new girl again, but that’s okay. It’s a year; not even that. And it’s far better than being married off straight away. And after? I push down my anxiety. One day at a time.

Stepping into reception, quiet music blends with a softly cascading water feature in the corner. The room is all sleek lines and modern furniture, gentled by lush greenery.

A receptionist welcomes me, ushering me through to the dean’s office. The dean. Kai’s stepmom. Fidgeting with the knife at my belt, I trail along, allowing myself to be led to meet the woman he hates so much. The receptionist presses her hand to a panel in the wall and steps aside, gesturing me through the opening doorway. Biometric security in a school? Modern as all hell.

Shuffling inside, my eyes are everywhere. It’s nothing like the dean of Fates’ stuffy office—it’s warm, informal. A standing desk sits discreetly in the corner, while a stone bookcase lines the back wall, its brightly colored spines adding life to the space. From behind a cluster of giant lavender plants, a poised woman emerges, tall and graceful, her floaty clothes swaying as she moves. Sun-kissed hair cascades down her back, and a gentle smile softens her features.

“Be welcome,” she says, gesturing to a couple of stone loungers. I perch awkwardly on the nearest one, watching as she presses a button. The wall in front of us concertinas, revealing a view out over a calm lake. She slides onto the lounger beside me, languidly stretching out.

“I am Davina, dean of the Gifted Academy. Please, sit back, relax.”

First names, huh? Tentatively, I relax back on my chair, and heat radiates pleasantly from the stone under me.

“I wanted to welcome you personally,” she says, and I shoot her the side-eye. Is the Angel King keeping special tabs on me?

“I have your schedule. We’ve done our best with the limited time we have.” She clears her throat, annoyance flickering briefly over her features, gone so quickly I’d have missed it if I weren’t studying her carefully. “We’re smaller than Fates. We are therefore much more involved with our students.”

I don’t need people interfering, I just need to know how to control my aether. To ascend.

“We’re about getting close to your inner self, the truest version of you. The way things work here is designed to help with that. Even if ourpractices seem odd at first, please try to respect the way we do things. It is all for a reason. For example, every morning we rise early for a swim—inside or out—it’s your choice.”

Great, another breakfast boot camp.

“Then, we’ll all gather for breakfast in the hall. Everyone eats together.”

“Just how small is this place?” I blurt.

Diana hums in the back of her throat. “Between ten and twenty students per year, and of course because we’re so small we have an accelerated three-year program. So, we’re around fifty students for meals. It is expected we eat together. It creates community spirit.” She pauses. “I see your look, Aether Lorelei. You have plenty of chances to have time alone, if you choose. After breakfast is our yoga session. We find it sets us up nicely for the day, then everyone is on their way to classes. We’ve fitted you in as best we can.”

“Uh, thanks?”

Davina ignores my sarcasm. “It will help that classes are small, and we’ve added individual tutoring in places to catch you up.”

She passes me a schedule. “It would be easier if you’d come here full-time…”

I realize she’s expecting me to respond. I should have guessed she’d try to strong-arm me. “Not happening. My allegiance, my Aeternum, my friends are all there.”

Davina places her hands palms together in her lap. “Well, you’re an adult, nearly ascended. I’m sure you’re more than capable of making your own choices.”

I stare out over the lake for a long beat. So much of this is not what I expected. Not at all.

“Thanks, Dean Grigori.”

She lets out a low chuckle. “One thing. Here we don’t use surnames. You will be known only as Aether Lorelei—one of our little quirks. I am simply Dean Davina or Davina, if the notion takes you.”

I garble some kind of response. It’s clearly far from sensible given the amused look on the dean’s face.

“You are surprised by my informality,” she says. A statement, not a question. “You know my stepson, I believe.”

I stiffen on the lounger.

“I’m quite sure he hasn’t given you a good impression of me. He is a rather angry young man.”

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