Secrets in the room

Aralyn's POV

After eating until I felt like my stomach would pop, I could finally breathe again without wanting to cry. It was ridiculous how much food could change a person's mood.

One second I was about ready to curl up and give up on life, and now here I was, full, a little sleepy, and not nearly as angry or anxious as I had been before. It was the first time since arriving that I felt even slightly okay.

The cafeteria had been eerily quiet, though. Besides me and the guy who brought me, who hadn't bothered to tell me his name, there were only two other people sitting all the way in the corner.

They were both women, and I couldn't tell if they were teachers or older students, but they looked... intense.

I kept my head down, focused on my food, and made sure not to glance in their direction too much. I didn't want to accidentally offend someone with a weird stare, because only God knew what kind of powers they had.

Now I was back outside, the air cooler than before, and I stood there like a confused little puppy, trying to remember which direction my room was. The layout of the school made no sense.

Everything looked the same, endless stone hallways, spiral stairs that seemed to move, floating lights that weren't lamps, and no clear signs of where anything was.

I sighed, dragging my hand through my hair, wondering if asking someone for help would be worth the possible embarrassment.

"Aralyn!"

The sound of my name being called made me turn instantly. It wasn't a voice I recognized right away, but as soon as I spotted the person it belonged to, I relaxed a little.

It was Elyra.

She was standing just a few feet away with another girl, who had short curly hair and deep brown skin. The girl was looking at me with a slight tilt of her head, like I was something strange she hadn't seen before, but Elyra looked excited.

"Hey," I said, smiling nervously.

Elyra walked over to me with a bright grin. "Where have you been? I went to your room earlier to check on you, but Serenessa looked like she wanted to kill me."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah... I'm very aware that she's not exactly the friendly type."

"You think?" Elyra said with a snort. "She didn't even say a word. Just gave me this look, like she was trying to set me on fire with her eyes."

The girl beside her gave a tiny wave. "Hi. I'm Penna, and I'm in the same level as Elyra. We're both first years."

I nodded politely. "Nice to meet you. I'm Aralyn. I'm also a first-year, apparently."

Elyra raised a brow. "Apparently?"

"I mean, I didn't exactly apply here," I muttered. "Let's just say it's been a weird day."

Penna chuckled under her breath. "We've all had weird days, but you'll fit in. Eventually."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I just gave a small nod.

"So where were you going?" Elyra asked.

"Back to my room, I think. If I can even find it."

"You'll never make it," Penna said with a straight face. "This place is a maze. Come on, we'll take you."

Part of me wanted to say no, mostly because I wasn't looking forward to going back at all, but the idea of getting even more lost than I already was didn't sound great either.

"Thanks," I said, and followed them as they began walking.

We took a different path than I remembered, one with arched windows that overlooked a strange garden full of flowers and trees with silver bark. I wanted to stop and stare, but I didn't want to seem like a tourist.

"So," Penna said after a while, glancing at me, "do you know what you are yet?"

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Your class. What you're training to be. Are you a mage, seer, elemental, or illusionist?" she asked, and I had no clue what any of that was even supposed to mean.

"I... don't actually know," I admitted. "I didn't even know this place existed until a few days ago."

Elyra looked surprised. "Wait, they didn't tell you anything?"

"Not really. Just that I'm supposed to be here and that I'll figure things out eventually."

Penna frowned. "That's not super helpful."

"No kidding," I muttered.

We turned another corner and finally arrived at the hallway I remembered. My room was the third door down, the one that now gave me slight anxiety just by looking at it.

"Well, here we are," Elyra said.

I nodded, biting my lip. "Thanks for walking me."

"No problem. We'll come get you tomorrow morning," Elyra added. "Classes start, and you'll need someone to survive orientation. It's kind of a mess."

"I'd appreciate that. A lot."

They waved, and I watched them disappear down the hall before turning to face the door. I took a deep breath and braced myself, hoping Serenessa would continue to pretend like I didn't exist for the rest of the evening.

The moment I stepped into the room, I froze.

Serenessa was sitting on my bed.

Not hers, mine. With her legs crossed like she owned it, like it was her throne or something. A slow, wicked smile stretched across her face when she saw me, and that was all I needed to know that whatever was about to happen, I wasn't going to like it.

"Welcome back," she said, her voice smooth and sharp at the same time. "I've been waiting for you."

My eyes narrowed instantly, and I stayed right by the door, not stepping an inch further. "What are you doing on my bed?" I asked, already feeling my nerves tensing again. "Look, I really don't want any trouble. I just want to be left alone, okay?"

She tilted her head, her eyes dancing with some kind of amusement. "Relax. I can't hurt you," she said with a scoff. "I've already been threatened not to."

Velmira. She was talking about Velmira.

"But," Serenessa continued, still sitting like she was in charge of everything, "we're stuck together. So I figured maybe we should talk. You know, set some ground rules and try to survive this nightmare together."

I stayed quiet for a beat, trying to figure out if this was some kind of trap, but then again, what choice did I even have?

I sighed. Loudly. "Fine," I said. "I'll stay out of your way, your space, and your business. I'll keep to myself. Just do the same, and we'll be okay."

She finally stood up, brushing off invisible dust from her skirt. Then she stepped closer. Not too close, but enough to make me feel the intensity of her gaze.

"Good," she said. "But there's just one more thing."

She looked me dead in the eye, and something about her expression shifted. Her eyes lost that usual sharpness for a second and became… darker.

"Whatever you see or hear in this room," she said, her tone dropping to something heavier, "stays in this room. Do you understand me?"

My brows furrowed. "I mean… it's not like I have anyone to tell anything to," I mumbled, trying to keep things light even though I was getting a really bad feeling.

"Swear it," she cut in, her voice suddenly harsher. "Swear to me, Aralyn. Nothing leaves this room. Ever."

My stomach twisted. I didn't know what I was swearing to, but I was too tired to argue and too tired to deal with another scene. So, with a dry throat and an even drier voice, I said, "I swear."

Even though I had no clue what I had just promised, something in the way she smiled after that made my skin crawl.