Page 14 of A Touch of Darkness

I take a deep breath and glance around the shop. The café is a literature lover’s dream. I noticed, before walking in, that the sign above the door readThe Raven’s Quillin looping, antique script. Ivy twisted around the windows like nature itself is trying to claim the place, and I can’t blame it. It’s gorgeous.

The warm, rich air wraps around me like a blanket once I’m fully inside, carrying the rich scents of coffee, leather, and old books. It’s a wonderful contrast from the chilly, early morning air. There’s a quiet hum cascading around the place: the soft chatter of patrons, the hiss of the espresso machine, the faint creak of worn floorboards underfoot.

I follow Nicole and Rebecca farther inside, my eyes sweeping across the space as I momentarily forget about my life, in complete awe of this place. Bookshelves climb the walls to the ceiling, crammed with novels, tomes, and journals. The collection is eclectic—old and new, fiction and nonfiction, with a little bit of everything in between.

A ladder on wheels leans precariously against one of the shelves. It looks charming, like something out of a movie, but from the weathered look, I’m surprised it’s still in one piece. Overhead, warm string lights cast a golden glow, a few of them burnt out, adding a hint of imperfection to the unique ambiance. A sea of quotes are etched into the wooden beams. My eyes run over a series of bookish quotes. One catches my eye: “We are all fools in love.”

In a far corner, there’s a small stage with an upright piano and a handwritten sign:Play at Your Own Risk. I haven’t touched a piano in years, and I’m certainly not about to start now—not when I’m certain I’d kill the mood with whatever disjointed notes my fingers might manage.

A couple of baristas are working behind a counter made from stacks of books and sealed beneath glossy resin. Their spines peek out like artifacts in a museum, some of the books are probably fit for one, too. Every detail feels deliberate, as if designed to transport its inhabitants to another world. Under normal circumstances, I’d love it here. I’d gladly come to this place to escape the mundane, to study, to find a new read and get lost in various worlds of adventure, romance, and mysteries.

But today, my world is imploding.

Nicole leads the way to a quiet corner, her movements unhurried but with purpose. Three mismatched armchairs surround a low wooden table. She sinks into a high-backed red velvet chair, crossing one leg over the other and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear with effortless confidence. Rebecca perches delicately on the edge of a small blue chair, her posture stiff.

I settle into the last chair, cradling the steaming mug Rebecca handed me moments ago. She must’ve ordered while I was busy wandering around, too lost in my thoughts to pay attention.

“I still can’t believe you guys agreed to ditch class for me today,” I murmur, my voice quieter than intended. “Thank you,” I add, because I don’t want to seem ungrateful that they agreed to skip classes today in order to spend time with me.

Nicole smirks, her plum-colored lips tilting upward as she winks. “Please. You looked like you were about to fling yourself into the void this morning, rightfully so. Consider this an emergency intervention.”

Rebecca shoots her a look but softens it with a small smile. “What she’s trying to say is that we care about you, Sylvie. And we think you deserve some answers.”

I swallow past my disbelief and nod. “Thanks. I mean it.” My fingers tighten around the warm mug. The heat seeps into myskin, but it doesn’t calm the storm in my chest. “It’s just... I don’t even know where to start. Everything feels so?—”

“Upside down?” Nicole offers with a shrug of one shoulder.

“Exactly.”

“Well, that’s because it is upside down,” she says, leaning forward with a spark of something unreadable in her eyes. “So here’s the deal: Blackthorne isn’t... normal. You’ve probably figured that out by now. Especially after last night’s strange events.”

I blink at her. “Figured it out? Nicole, my sister disappeared into thin air, and a random stranger showed up in my room claiming my bloodline has been protecting the world from vampires and witches for generations.” My voice trembles as I continue, “It doesn’t exactly take a genius to see something’s not right; I’m just not sure if it’s the people around me who’ve lost it—or if it’s me.”

Rebecca hides a smile behind her hand, and Nicole just shrugs, unapologetic. “Fair point. But there’s a difference between knowing something’s off and understanding why.”

“Okay, then,” I say. “Why?”

Nicole exchanges a glance with Rebecca, and for the first time, I see hesitation in her. Rebecca nods like she’s giving Nicole permission to continue, and Nicole leans back again, running a hand through her curly dark hair.

“Blackthorne is... special,” she says. “It’s one of the only places in the world where humans and supernaturals coexist, safely, under the same roof.”

The word drops between us like a stone.

Supernaturals.

“What does that even mean?” I ask, though I already feel the answer creeping into the edges of my mind. I feel like I came here expecting Nicole and Rebecca to tell me the woman wascrazy, or maybe that I hit my head and it was all my concussion talking. But here Nicole is telling me there are supernaturals?

“It means,” Nicole says, “that most of the people you’ve been going to class with the past couple days? They’re not exactly…human.”

I stare at her, my blood rushing in my ears. “You can’t be serious,” I say with a grin. I think it’s the first time I’ve smiled since Lara went missing and my life imploded, but this has to be a joke.

Rebecca leans forward, her expression softer, more careful. “Sheisserious. Blackthorne is like... a neutral zone. A place where humans and supernaturals can live and study together without totally killing each other. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best anyone’s managed.”

“Neutral zone? Killing each other?” My voice rises, and Rebecca glances around as if she’s worried someone might overhear.

“Keep your voice down,” Nicole says, leaning forward, but she doesn’t sound annoyed. “Look, it’s simple. Blackthorne was founded ages ago by two people—one human, one supernatural—who believed the only way to end the war between our worlds was to create a place where we could learn to coexist. The university isn’t just a school; it’s an experiment. A truce.”

I laugh, though there’s nothing funny about any of this. “You’re telling me I’ve been going to class with... with vampires and werewolves and witches and mermaids?”

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