Chapter 3

Chapter 2

“Wake up, Miss Banks,” a smooth voice says, the tone washes over me like a loving caress, and for the first time in a very long time I feel safe and it's not something I want to wake up from just yet. I nuzzle my face into the warmth against my cheek. A sweet, buttery and woodsy kind of scent hits my nose and I give an approving hum at the pleasing smell. A grunt of disapproval ruins my contentment right before I am dropped unceremoniously onto my back. The landing is soft but still unpleasant.

“What the hell!” I curse, rushing to sit and take in my surroundings. I'm on a couch in a dimly lit room, bright light suddenly floods the room making me squint against it. I shift my attention to the source of the light, fighting the urge to hiss at it like a feral vampire. A large figure is framed by the beaming sunlight that is flooding the room through a window that spans the entire wall. The figure is fussing with the curtains that he's just opened and I quickly recognise him as the stuck-up detective, Mr Collins. The events of the day come rushing back to me like a tidal wave of anger, fear and complete confusion.

“What did you do to me? How did we get here?” I demand, gesturing to the room and jumping to my feet.

“I don't have time to baby you through this, so here is the quick version,” he starts as he unbuttons his suit jacket and hangs it over the back of a large leather office chair. “My name is Deacon Collins, I am the headmaster of Grey’s Academy and you are the newest student here. Tell me, what do you know about your heritage?” he asks. My eyes are transfixed on his hands as he unbuttons the cuffs of his shirt and rolls up each sleeve to expose some impressive forearms. A throat clearing snaps me out of my trance.

“Oh… um,” I start, embarrassed at being caught staring. “Sorry, I'm a little lost here. I'm not feeling myself,” I say with a sigh and flop down onto the couch. I try to process what the hell is going on.

“Due to your circumstances, I am going to assume you know nothing. Here at Greys Academy, our students are gifted…” he begins.

“Wait, gifted?” I interrupt, “I think there's been a mistake. I'm not gifted, I got a pass in all my exams but nothing that makes me stand out,”

“If you'd let me finish Miss Banks…”

“Josie,” I correct, not liking the way he uses ‘Miss Banks’ in an inferior way.

“Miss Banks,” he reiterates, “If you would just keep quiet for two minutes and let me explain then you can be on your way. Our Academy is for what we call Greys. Greys are a race of superhumans. Whilst we are much more powerful than regular humans, we are also small in number. For this reason, we have created our own realm within the human one. This is safer for everyone to live in peace. Somehow, you have slipped through the net and grown up within the human realm. I will be launching a full investigation into how that came to pass, but for now, you are here and you are safe. Now I appreciate this is a lot for you to take in and you have a lot of catching up to do so I won't overwhelm you today. I will have my assistant assign you a dorm room and pair you with one of our more intellectual students to do extra studies with you outside of your regular lessons. I will also schedule some extra studies with our tutors here. Any questions?” he says without a flicker of a smile.

“Oh, you are good,” I laugh. “I love this show! I used to watch it all the time,” I say between bouts of laughter. I get up and start exploring the room to find the hidden cameras. I can't believe I'm on the prank show. I wonder who nominated me, it must have been Freya, my best friend from college. “Was it Freya that put you up to this?” I giggle.

“Miss Banks!” the actor playing Mr Collins shouts, slamming his hand down on the desk, which just makes me laugh harder. I approach him and examine the buttons on his shirt, one must be a hidden camera. Then I start rubbing my hands over his shirt, feeling for the hidden wires. In a flash his hands wrap around my wrists, making me gasp in shock as he grips them hard, stopping my exploration. I look up at him and his eyes are intense as they stare back at me. “What the hell are you doing?” he asks in an almost growl.

“Looking for your mic?” I gulp.

“I don't have a mic, this is not a prank. You are new here and you've had a lot to take in so this once I will give you a pass, but if you lay your hands on me ever again there will be punishment. Do you understand?” he says in a low, scary tone. His heavy breathing makes me bite my tongue because I really want to taunt him about what this punishment might be. As if he knows what I'm thinking his eyes seem to flash blue. That's when I remember them doing that earlier, right before he demanded that I sleep, a demand I was powerless to resist. Panic bubbles inside me at the realisation. He's telling the truth, isn't he?

“You made me go to sleep,” I say with a shaky breath. He gives me a single nod in response. “What else can you make me do?” I ask. Fear at how vulnerable I am right now pushes me to ask the question.

“Anything,” he says in a husky whisper, and I swear his face moves closer to mine. His answer doesn't scare me like it should, if anything it excites me. Then a door opens, breaking the trance he has me in, he drops my wrists and takes a step back as if I'm suddenly repulsive to him. I turn to see who the intruder is.