Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Hey, Ice Bear. You okay?"

I snapped when Uncle George patted my shoulder to get my attention. I didn't notice how long had I been staring at the fountain, but whe I glanced at Uncle George and took a sharp breath before gazing back at the girls who looked exactly like me and Jessy, I realized there wasn't anyone there but the old man sweeping the ground, wearing his faded blue jumpsuit and white shirt.

When he looked at me, I noticed the sudden shift of his expression, as if he'd seen a ghost or something. Horror sketched on his wrinkled face, and as soon as he grabbed his face towel that's sitting by the fountain, he ran back inside the academy as if I scared the hell out of him.

I couldn't help but furrow my brows. What was that about? Two minutes in this strange place and I was already feeling that everything was off. The hair on the back of my neck stood to its end and I felt chills all over my body, as if a part of me didn't want to stay here for another minute.

Danger. I smelled danger in the place but it would be stupid to drag my ass back to my hometown and let the goons chop my tiny body to pieces. Who knew? Maybe they'd have some fun and keep me alive as they dismember me. Or worse, what if they're that crazy to throw me in a pool of piranhas or alligators?

Maybe I was losing my mind. Nobody could blame me anyway. I had reasons to go coo-coo anyway. My mom died when I was young, daddy was never nice, loan sharks were after me, and I was left with no choice but to stay at this Hogwarts copycat. Not to mention the lady whom Uncle George called the head mistress looked like that lady who can shift into a cat. I'd never seen the movie, just a few clips Jessy was so obsessed about. Well I wished there would be a real-life Malfoy in this place. That would be awesome. 

I took in some air while trying to wash away the eerie feeling that's enveloping me before I forced a smile at Uncle George. "I think I'm good. About to lose my mind but I'm good."

The woman smiled. Not the kind of smile that would feel welcoming but the kind the principal from her gradeschool often give to the students when I was in third grade--creepy, and the very reason why I begged mom to transfer me.

Well, this woman looked like a magazine model. She's slender and fair--no, almost pale--and her lips were full and painted with dark red lipstick. Her sapphire eyes were round and intimidating, as if she was judging me in her mind even when she's smiling. She did look like a principal, thou, with her long black skirt that's reaching the ground and button-down shirt with long sleeves that's up to her pulse. Even her hands were hiding inside a pair of black gloves.

What's up with the black ensemble? She was gorgeous, but creepy. Like a witch from Harry Potter. Ugh! I had to blame Jessy for my stupid references. I wouldn't be surprised if I would start looking for more Harry Potter cast look-a-likes.

Speaking of more character references,  didn't know if I should laugh or slap myself to check if I wasn't dreaming when a guy with brown hair, a little messy, fair and was giving off a boy-next-door vibe, ran from the driveway towards the main entrance of the academy. He was laughing his ass off while carrying a bunch of--carrots?--and a girl wearing the academy's uniform chasing him while holding a twig.

"Please, God. Don't make that stick a freaking wand or I'd really walk myself into an asylum."

Uncle George laughed. "Don't worry, Ice. That was just a twig."

"I hope so. Witches better not exist or I'll lose the last strand of insanity left in me."

The head mistress smiled inwardly, her pools twinkled as if I said something interesting before she turned to Uncle George. "You better hold on to that last strand, Mella. Who knows what mystery Wild Oaks really hold... Right?"

Myy brows curled. "Mella? No, my name is Entice."

The head mistress' eyes slightly narrowed at me. "Of course you are."

I didn't know why my conversation with the head mistress kept bugging me. It wasn't like the first time someone called me with a different name. It's just that, Miss Gohaynes' last words sounded... off. And it intrigued me so much.

I couldn't even sleep. No matter where I was, I never had trouble going to bed that's why I knew it was the strange lady's words that's keeping me up.

I blew the hair covering my face then hugged my pillow. Good thing the academy provided me mattress and beddings, and a pair of huge pillows. I was suprised when they took me to a room only meant for one. The room had everything I needed from a bed to a wardrobe and my own bathroom with a tub, as if my room was of a student's. 

Dragging mmy ass off the bed, I walked towards the veranda. I hugged myself when the cold woody crisp air kissed my cheek. It's three in the morning and I was instructed to be up by six yet here I was, gazing at the starless night as if there was no work waiting for me in three hours.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips. Peaceful. This place was peaceful. Far from the loud town I grew up in, yet the silence of the night made me realize how lonely I was. Without Jessy and Uncle George, I wouldn't have anybody I could call family. And now here, in this strange place, the very place most people were so scared about, I felt empty.

My chest felt heavy when memories of my mother flashed inside my head like a tape I couldn't stop playing. My eyes stung, and just when I thought I already cried enough, here I was, sobbing in the middle of the night, wishing nothing but some mercy from up above.

I realized that I didn't want to die, but it's so hard to live either when you're lonely. Jessy and Uncle George were so far now that I was stuck in this odd dormitory in the most secluded place in the country. Hope, I thought, was just laying somewhere, but sometimes, I wondered if there's really a light at the ned of my tunnel.

With the sleeves of my pajamas, I wiped mmy tears and banged my chest, trying to remind myself that I had to remain tough, because there's nobody who would stand up for me but myself. This place, if I could stay here and be safe from those loan sharks, I must do well in my job or I would end up in the streets where it would be easy for them to find me.

I breathed in some air before sniffing. For what it's worth, I knew I was doing my best to survive unlike my abusive dad who didn't even put up a fight. Thinking about how much of a coward he was made me feel stronger. I promised myself that I would never end up like him--broken and miserable.

Taking in a few more fresh air, I finally decided to go back inside my room, only to freeze on my spot when I saw the man sitting on the edge of my bed, his upper face hiding in the dark, while his lips were lit by the light coming from the outside.

My eyes widened and my  limbs numbed when I saw what the man was licking off the sides of his lips.

Blood...