Page 2 of Darkened Wings
As my heart attempted to beat its way right out of my chest and onto the chestnut-colored dirt at my feet, I pushed the door open. It hissed as the pressure released it from its previous station. A whoosh of cool air hit me in the face, whisking my hair from my face and chilling out some of my anxiousness. Combing my hair might have also been a good choice.
I stuck my head in first, in the off chance there were ninjas or armed guards waiting to escort me out before I could even make my case. Even I had to admit, my defense in coming here wasn’t the best, but it was the string I was clinging to for life or death.
To my surprise, there were no ninjas, no flying stars coming at my head, no sounds of blades being released from their sheaths. No armed guards to march me, hands under my arms, to the exit only to throw me and my ratty bag back to the dirt.
Instead, there was pure decadence. Pristine marble floors reflected the medieval sconces and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. They weren’t lit with electric bulbs but real candles whose flames flickered with the movement around the place. It was haunted house meets romantic castle meets prep school all bundled into one. As I let myself relax a bit and walked in, shutting the door behind me, I felt my cheeks rise in a smile.
Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all.
What were my parents so worried about?
“Excuse me. Excuse me?” A choppy, high-pitched voice squawked in my direction as I turned around, my chin tilted upward, my mouth agape. This place was incredible. The outside really did juxtapose this magnificent place. Given a leotard and some socks, I would spin batty like a wicked ballet dancer.
“Yes?” I said, making myself stop spinning and get back to business. I had people to convince I belonged here. How much of a war that would be, I didn’t know.
“Who are you? You can’t just walk into this school…off the streets.”
To her credit, I probably looked and I actually did walk into this opulent place right off the streets. Or at least the long drive. I was a rough, discarded dime in the midst of what appeared to be shiny, collectible coins.
“My name is Gwendoline Bellamina. I am here for registration.” My heart stammered as I said the words. If politeness didn’t work, I could employ other means, but the goal was to get in being courteous and kind. I didn’t want to piss these people off from the get-go. I wasn’t stupid. This place was about to be the source of my bread being buttered.
And I was in need of quite a slab of butter.
The woman, with long flowing hair bundled over one shoulder, stood from her desk as all the color drained from her face. Her red lips outlined a wide-open mouth, and she struggled for words. Her shiny shirt, buttoned and cuffed at the wrists, boasted a large tied bow right at the neck. Seemed like a liability to me. That thing could get caught in a machine or something worse and rip her head…
I digress.
This might be more difficult than I’d hoped for.
She cleared her throat, squared her shoulders and her dark-brown eyes went from wide-open shock to squint. “You can’t just waltz in here and register for school, young lady.”
I knew I had been nervous when I walked in, but never in my life had I waltzed. Did they teach that here? I should sign up for that class, right along with demanding they honor the legacy rule. The last thing I was skilled at was demanding. Obeying, hiding, cowering, shuddering, those things I had down pat. But demanding? I didn’t even know if I owned that vocal tone.
Still, maybe the desperation of my situation would take over and do the commanding for me.
I walked over to the desk, trying to appear confident, but ended up stomping.
Perfect, Gwen. I’m sure lumberjacks are what they are looking for.
“According to the statutes of this school and the time-honored rule of legacy, I am entitled to entrance to this academy. This is the Academy of the Ravens, is it not?”
“Of course it is but…”
I put my bag down, letting it slap against those perfect floors, and flattened my palms on the shiny wooden desk. “But nothing. I am a raven. My parents both attended school here and graduated with full honors. That makes me a legacy. Now, what kind of paperwork do I need to fill out?”
Maybe I had more gumption than I thought. And my parents had better have been right. About school admission. Not about avoiding it.
She sighed. Her wide eyes scanned the room, maybe looking for a rule or a statute that would enable her to get rid of the trash. “I’ll speak to the headmistress first.”
I conjured up a fake smile. “You do that.”
While the woman walked away, I listened to the click of her heels against the polished floors. I picked up a map of the grounds from the corner of the desk and sat in one of the gothic-looking chairs and pretended to be interested in how the buildings were laid out. Really what I was doing was listening in on Mrs. Front Desk and seeing how hard I would have to dig in.
She knocked on the large door a few yards away, and it was several seconds before a female voice inside beckoned her in. The front desk person walked in but didn’t shut the door behind her. Didn’t matter if she did. I was damaged in other ways, but my raven hearing worked perfectly.
“You can’t be serious,” I heard what I assumed was the headmistress say after she was told who I was and that I was here, at this school.
“When have I ever joked?” the assistant, that’s what I was calling her now, said back. The woman had never made a joke in her life? Sarcasm was my second language. Hell, I could make thirteen snide remarks about this woman never joking, off the top of my head.
