Page 52 of Angel Lost

Blackout curtains and a weighted blanket, a walk-in en suite shower, and a yoga mat tucked in the corner. There’s not much storage space, but that just means I fit right in—owning jack shit works with minimalism.

It’s a funny mixture of natural and ultra high-tech. It took me forever to work out there actually was a desk—it folds into the wall. Because of course it does. Who’d want that clutter messing with them? I roll my eyes and poke a toe out of the crisp cotton sheets. There’s no shelf, no books, just a library on the school laptop I was issued. Naeve would be so disappointed. But on the plus side, I do have a small balcony with a few potted plants to look after. I shuffle across the cool hardwood floor and open the doors, letting in a eucalyptus-scented draft before crawling back under my blanket.

I palm my smuggled phone out from under my pillow and stare at it. The screen glows, and I scroll aimlessly through my photos, my last messages. Having no signal is shit. I assumed if I could just get my phone onto campus, I’d be good. But no, apparently the school rules on no phones are strict. And enforced. The laptop only has intranet too. I checked. The boys are going to strangle me for going silent.

My door rattles.

“Morning,” a female voice calls, far too peppy for this time of day. “I know you’re new, so this is your friendly reminder—it’s time to pump up that energy and take a swim!”

My stomach drops. Slowly, I haul my bathing suit on and then the school’s pale gray robe. Maybe if I take my time she’ll just go away.

She rattles the handle.

No such luck.

I open the door to a pissed-looking blonde, a little younger than me. She plasters a smile on her alabaster face.

“Let’s get this day started.” She offers a serene smile. “I’m Aether Reye. You must be Aether Lorelei. I’ve heard all about you.” She links her arm through mine and briskly propels me out of the building into the cool dawn.

We come to a halt on a wooden jetty at the edge of the lake. Clothing lies in neat piles at the edge, and in the first light I can just make out bobbing heads in the water. Reye drops my arm and strips her robe over her head, revealing a very modest swimsuit. Without glancing at me she dives into the water, barely making a splash. She pops up again yards away, and starts swimming toward the center of the lake.

Slowly, hesitantly, I strip off my robe. Sitting on the cool wood of the pier, I dangle my legs over the edge. The water splashes up, shockingly cold, and my mind blanks.

Cold water on my skin, creeping up my body. Water in my mouth, my eyes, my nose. Breathing it in. Frank.

“Hey! Newbie!” someone calls. “Get in before we’re all given detention.”

A chorus of grumbling echoes back to me.

“I…can’t.”

“You can’t swim?”

“I can, but…”

A whip of magic lashes out, wrapping around my ankle and pulling me face-first into the water.

The cold hits like a punch, sending shock waves through every nerve. It’s instant—panic, raw and familiar, dragging me into the past, to Frank. Bubbles rush by in every direction, disorientating, and I flail, thrashing my arms and legs. Which way is up? I need air.

Every second stretches out. My throat tightens, chest burning, heart pounding in my ears.Not again. Not this time. Focus, Lorelei. Keep control.

Somehow, through the fog of panic, the rational part of my brain claws its way forward. I force my limbs to still and my eyes to open against the sting of the water. Murky shadows swirl around me. There. Light.

Kicking desperately, I force my body through the water. Muscles burning, I finally break the surface, gasping, coughing, dragging in sweet, sweet air. Every breath is ragged, raw, but I did it. I won.

Fuck Frank, fuck the Angel King. And fuck whoever dragged me in before I was ready.

“I was looking out for everyone, avoiding a detention,” Reye says, regarding me coolly over the rim of her cup.

I slam my hand down on the long wooden table. “Everyone but me,” I snap. “I have serious trauma around water, and you just shoved me in.”

She tuts, and the students around us shift uneasily in their chairs. “You’re alive, aren’t you? Besides, how was I supposed to know? You had plenty of time to mention it on the walk to the shore.”

I slosh the lukewarm excuse for coffee in my cup, seething. “Why would I share that with a stranger?”

Reye pauses mid-bite, then places her toast back on her plate. “You don’t seem too shy about announcing it now.” She raises aneyebrow. “Only a few of us knew before. Now the entire school does.” She clicks her tongue. “If you must know, it’s very unbecoming.”

With that, she stands and carries her dishes to the kitchen. My neck burns. All eyes are on me. Not only am I the newbie, but I’m already causing a scene. Perfect.

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