Page 12 of The Pretty Savage

"Look, Ms. Vega," Elias said, pointing at something in front of him. I pushed myself to the center of the back seat, staring at the illuminated gates not too far from us, squinting to see it better while fighting against the fatigue. "That's the Academy."

The closer we came, the more I could see what a monstrosity it was.

The tall gothic-style towers loomed on the horizon, illuminated while the rest of the building was shrouded in darkness, hidden by the trees that were lined up behind the tall iron gates, guarded by gargoyles on each of the pillars, glaring at us as we approached.

A small hut stood on the side just behind the gates, and as Elias slowed the car down, stopping in front of the gates, a guard dressed in combat gear approached the car from Elias's side, leaning down as the latter lowered the window.

"Good evening," the guard greeted in a thick accent, his eyes flickering over Elias and then me. "What is your business here?"

"Ms. Vega Konstantinova," Elias said, his voice shakier than it was before. "She's starting today."

The guard's blue eyes landed on me once again, perusing me from head to, well, my waist, since he couldn't see the rest of me. "ID?" he asked, pushing his hand through the open window.

I pulled out the wallet from my backpack, took out my passport, and handed it over to him, waiting to see his reaction. His face stayed blank as he stepped back from the car, walking toward the hut he came out of, probably checking if I was supposed to be here.

"This is weird," Elias murmured. "They usually just let us through."

"Eh." I shrugged. "They have to check everything, I guess."

No sooner than the words had left my mouth, the guard was walking back with my passport in his hand, handing it over to me the moment he stepped next to the car. "You may go in. Straight to the administration building." He pointedly said the last part to Elias, and I assumed he already knew where he was supposed to go. "Good night."

Elias still seemed shaken when the gates started opening, and I couldn't keep my eyes off of the gargoyles perched above us, staring with their beady little eyes, as if they were following our every single move. I craned my neck the moment we passed the gate, seeing the guard looking in our direction, tracking our movements, and I wondered if something had happened that made them this cautious.

Their behavior made the hair on my arms stand up; I had no idea what I was about to walk into. I was heading straight into the wolf's den, and I knew what would happen if they ever found out I wasn't Vega Konstantinova, the daughter of a foot soldier in the Russian mafia, but Vega Konstantinova, an assassin for The Schatten.

It was clear to me that The Schatten and the Zylla family didn't exactly get along, and the fact that I was here, far away from our allies, did nothing to calm the nerves that were slowly coming to life. Add the teeny-tiny fact that I never had a chance to go to school with other people my age, and I knew this wouldn't be as easy as I initially thought.

My plan of getting in and getting out as fast as possible would probably fall apart, and the deeper we went into the estate where St. Vasili's Academy was, the more I was rethinking all my life choices. I understood why I chose to do this—for Tyler, for me, for my future, but I didn't expect it to feel this heavy.

Thunder roared over the mountain and before I could ask Elias how much longer it would take, he was turning right on the gravelly road, bringing us out of the thick forest that obviously surrounded the Academy and right in front of a modern-looking building. I turned around in my seat and saw it then—the old building I saw in the photos on the internet and the towers I saw minutes ago were now behind us, which also meant that they had several buildings on the property.

Elias turned the ignition off, and the dreadful feeling that’d been slowly building in my gut since we passed the gate had curled itself into a ball and lodged itself in my throat. But just like with everything else, I swallowed the panic that was threatening to erupt, plastering a fake smile on my face.

My mouth opened, the words seconds away from spilling out, but Elias beat me to it. "Are you sure you want to do this, Ms. Vega?" My eyes widened, and if it wasn't for the concern in his voice I would've thought he knew something I didn't. "This place," he shook his head, "it always left me with this sour taste in my mouth, but never like this."

"What do you mean?" I asked, careful to keep my voice even.

"There are, uh, rumors." Ah, here we go again. "I have no idea what kind of academy this is, since admission is by invite only it would seem, but lately there were talks in town that something sinister lived on this cliff. Something malicious, and my friend in the coroner's office in town told me the other day that there were a number of people missing who went hiking on the mountain. He thinks it has something to do with this place."

I wanted to laugh, I really did, but I also understood his concern. This place didn't exactly give off warm and fuzzy feelings, and I could only imagine all the stories people must have created over the years to try and explain it.

"Don't worry, Elias," I said, squeezing his bicep. "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

He took a deep breath, slowly turning to me. "Look, I'm gonna give you my number. I don't usually do this, but if you ever need me, you can call me and I'll come and pick you up." He pulled out a white business card, handing it over to me with a trembling hand. "Call me at any time, Ms. Vega." My throat closed, because I wasn't used to this.

I was always wary of human kindness, because it often meant that they wanted something from me. I learned the hard way those first months in that orphanage that people should not be trusted, no matter how kind they might seem to be. I learned the hard way when they tied me to that table, taking away my choices and sterilizing me when I was just seven years old.

But instead of questioning this simple gesture from a man I would most probably never see again, I took the card from him, if only to ease his worries.

"I'll be fine, Elias," I added for good measure, but as the light illuminated the front of the administration building, revealing a tall man standing out front, I wasn't really sure if I believed it.

6

VEGA

I was the first one to open the door, followed shortly after by Elias who rushed to my side with an umbrella, but I wasn't focusing on him anymore.

The man I saw standing in front of the admin building slowly walked toward us, crossing over the pavement with an open umbrella and another one in his hand. I stood frozen, waiting for him to reach us, unable to focus on anything else.

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