Chapter Five

Everything seemed to be happening so fast. I had said goodbye to Hiroshi in baggage claim and I honestly had no clue when I would ever see him again. Our flirting escapades had been the fastest three hours of my life. It all felt like thirty minutes. It didn't help either that the sun decided to shy away behind the clouds today. My father told me that I should lookout for a person holding out a sign.

'Luveldom Academy'

That was the name of the school. Humans couldn't see the figure but I spotted the man as soon as I looked out into the crowd of humans. The man didn't have a single follicle of hair on his head and he had a complexion that looked like the ashy gray blocks that covered the usual cemented building. His figure matched that of a stick and he was definitely taller than the average human. He wore a simple black suit and matching tie with a white collar shirt. I took my time as I walked towards him. He certainly was a scary sight and not the welcome sign I was hoping for or expected. Now that I had reached him I noticed the prominent violet shadows around his eyes.

He had a badge that read "Mr. Ferndale". Mr. Ferndale stood still and had not moved once ever since I had arrived. There were about twelve young people that stood by Mr. Ferndale and I assumed they were all Supernaturals. They all had this noticeable difference to them that I'm sure would go unnoticed by a human. They looked "normal" but they had what Hiroshi had. I wasn't even sure if he was Supernatural but he truly had something different about him.

"Hi, I'm Vivienne Brown," a beautiful girl offered out her hand for me to shake. She stood out due to her tomato-tinted hair and black lipstick. "Ren Bordelon," I shook Vivienne's hand. I could instantly feel the power that radiated within her. "I can tell your a witch," she had power in her eyes too because I instantly crumbled under her gaze. "You must be one too," I finally gathered enough courage to look into her eyes. "I am, I'm the coven leader actually," Vivienne had a very confident nature. She placed a strand of hair behind her ear before continuing. "And I'm head Witch which means I'm the student representative for Witches."

"So, you're the person I should go to for witch advice?" She nodded her head proudly. "Yup, in fact here's my number incase you need anything," I took my phone out of my pocket and unlocked it. I handed it to her soon after and she tapped in her digits. "There you go," Vivienne had already typed in her name which had shocked me because I only heard the loud dial of numbers. Not only was she head witch and coven leader but she was a fast typer too. What a catch she was!

After five minutes of waiting for more students, we all followed Mr. Ferndale to the Minibus. Not once did he acknowledge or look at any of us. It kind of looked like he was in some sort of Zombie trance but without the flesh-eating habits. The twelve people that I had noticed earlier on had all moved with the heard. My intuition must've been right but I just couldn't pinpoint which particular Supernatural group they each belonged to.

The drive to the school would be about an hour and fifteen minutes. For the duration of the trip, Vivienne and I naturally sat next to one another. We ended up chatting for a bit before the conversation died off. I was fine with listening to some indie music and staring out the window into Seattle and soon Olympia. My notifications were filled with the messages that Elliot and Vera had left for me. The messages that were delivered were all in our group chat.

Elliot: Ren...

Elliot: What is happening right now???

Elliot: I don't understand.

Elliot: Please, just tell us that you're okay.

Vera: We didn't even get to say goodbye to you. I know you had your reasons for not seeing us in person but we would've rather cherished time with you than dwelling on why you're leaving all of a sudden. I love you okay and I hope to see you during the Holidays. It didn't have to be this way you know.

I couldn't help but feel a rush of guilt pour over me. Was I selfish for leaving the way that I did? I wanted to protect them. I didn't want to cry in a bus full of strangers but my tears slipped. I wiped them as soon as they touched my cheeks. My sniffles were like an alarm that alerted Vivienne's attention. "You miss them don't you?" I decided to just nod, hoping that she wouldn't question me further. Vivienne lifted my hand so that the back of my hand could rest on the armrest. She put her palm above mine and began muttering some words under her breath. I could feel a gradual build-up of energy in my skin.

I didn't care what she was doing to me because it fascinated me anyway. A small force of light formed an orb between our palms. The energy seemed to be coming out of my skin and it shone brightly with an azure exterior. My emotions of guilt and sadness all disappeared as soon as that blue light forcefully formed.

"This is a physical manifestation of your emotions. I'm an empato, basically an empath. I could feel the weight of this orb the minute I saw you. I thought you might want to

see it," I attempted a small smile. This new feeling of nothingness bothered me. I wanted to feel my emotions again. I felt like an actor in my own body trying to replicate an emotion. The color of the orb swiftly changed into a darker blue that almost appeared black. "Does it change color depending on how you feel?" Vivienne nodded and placed the orb of light back into my palm. All emotion I once felt soaked itself right back into me. "In the past, Supernatural Beings who fell in love with humans would have their emotions stripped while they would kill their human lover in front of them. After the killing they'd return they're emotions." I imagined my Father and Annalise in that situation. I shivered at the thought of it. It was cruel and unnecessary. It honestly sounded scarier than experiencing your emotions raw without anymanipulation.

It seemed like it could be compared to the moment a sailor would find themselves in treacherous waters with a violent mind of its own and no matter how hard the sailor tries steering the ship in hopes to make it out alive. They have no choice but to have their heart sink and watch a monstrous culmination of waves swallowing them and anything else that stands to sit in mother nature's waters. "That's awful, why did they do that? It sounds like true torture, to not feel anything at all and then to have your emotions crash back into your entire being and having to drown in them."

"Well, The Council believes that if we began mating with humans it would pose a great threat to us all. Obviously, there's been some change and mating with a human is allowed. As long as they swear to guard the secret with their lives and if they don't death will follow," from what I remember Annalise didn't know about this world so was she in any sort of danger. "What happens if you're with a human and they don't know about the real you?"

"Well even better then but as if that's possible. Secrets always reveal themselves," I guess she was right. Annalise would probably find out someday and I wasn't sure if the news would change her love for my Father.

I had my keyboard ready but I just wasn't sure what I could write to Elliot and Vera. I had a few things come to mind but I kept on erasing everything. I turned my phone off so that I could think about everything for a bit. My mindset wasn't clear at this moment and I needed some time to gather my thoughts. Vivienne had informed me that school was going to officially begin tomorrow and today was the last day for students to come into campus. That meant that Mr. Ferndale would still need to go back to the airport and pick up the other students who would arrive on later flights. The gradual change in scenery took effect as soon as the tall, urban Seattle buildings were replaced by the densely populated trees of Olympia.

Mount Olympia increased in size as we drove closer to our destination. The natural forests exuded an effect that calmed me. Vivienne had informed me that we were about three minutes away which made sense because we were definitely traveling the road less traveled. "Do you want to see something cool?" Look behind you," I listened to Vivienne and a Supernatural phenomenon occurred right before me. This is what I was waiting for. The tar road behind us slowly transformed into an abundant collection of trees on the earthly ground. The further we kept going, the more trees were added to the path at our backs. This must've been the effect of a magical spell that was cast to hide us from humans. "That was cool," I smiled like a geek at something that must've been so mundane to these people but extraordinary to me. I turned around to face the sight in front of me and it was the large black gate of Luveldom Academy. The name was engraved in gold into the steel and green, leafy vines that appeared to be growing on the bars of the gate.

My heart rate rose due to the anticipation of the gates opening up and which they did but rather too slow for my liking. My eyes were met with a building that looked just like an old, European castle. The golden stones and architecture added charm to the school building. In fact, I wondered about the age of Luveldom.

The bus drove along a grey, circular path and stopped when we reached the middle of the circle. The medieval-styled wooden door of the building opened on its own and it must've been under the influence of magic. All of us who exited from the bus stood in line to fetch our luggage from the under bus storage compartment.

When I got ahold of my bags I followed all the other students into the school building. They all seemed to know exactly where to go. The interior of the building held more beauty than I had ever imagined. Paintings and artifacts hung on the high walls and they all seemed to be centuries older than me. There was a double staircase in front of me that led to the second level of the school. Although, the lighting was very warm indoors, which contrasted with the cool tones of outside. There was still a cool air that hovered in the halls of the building that seemed to match the air outside. Some vines occupied the higher corners of the walls. They seemed to match the ones I spotted outside. We all headed left and in no time we reached what I assumed would be the offices. A natural line formed and it seemed like we were all receiving our schedules from the receptionist.

The line kept getting shorter and finally it was my turn. "Ah, you must be Ren-eleeza Bordelon?" The lady who appeared to be somewhere in her forties held a sweet, comforting smile towards me. Her hair was tucked neatly into a tight bun. "Just Ren," I smiled back to reciprocate the energy. "Well, just Ren. Here is your timetable. You will be escorted by your fellow student Yumena. Let me just get a hold of her," the kind receptionist began writing down a message on a blank piece of paper. "You know it's an honor to have you here. If you ever need anything I'll be right here. Behind this desk," my smile faded due to the confusion her words brought me. I was just a regular student, why was it an honor to have me here? "Uh, thank you but I assure you I'm no one special."

"No one special? You are the daughter of Amatheia Bordelon and the niece of the headmistress," I attempted to keep my composure but I couldn't tell if I did anyway. I had some trouble trying to find some words to say to the receptionist but a girl had intervened. "Hey Sally, sorry I'm late," a beautiful barbie blonde girl with the sharpest eyes and palest skin had manifested right before me. She had arrived at a speed I was so used to seeing on television associated with Vampires. Her icy skin seemed to be another indicator of her species. I guess there was something humans got right. "Your just in time Yumena, this is Ren and all you need to do is give her a tour of the school," Sally the receptionist communicated this information to the pale beauty.

She was truly stunning. I stopped breathing for a few seconds when I first saw her. Yumena had a small, square face with sharp cheekbones. Her features were a gift from the heavens. She had a beauty spot below her bottom lip which acted as a finishing touch to her flawless face.

The temperature in the room had dropped. I might've not been Human but I had the same built as one and the coldness that this girl radiated affected my entire body. I would've expected Vivienne to give me a tour but perhaps her arriving the same day as I did prohibited that. "Alright, no problem Sally," the blonde girl shifted her head to face me. "I'm Yumena and you must be Ren," she extended her heart-shaped lips and smiled brightly. She held out her arms for a hug. I opened mine to accept the request and we both held each other awkwardly. Her smile didn't seem genuine.

Although, I wore a hoodie I could feel the coldness in her skin permeating through the layers of my clothing. It was like hugging a frozen pole during the season of winter. "That's me," I smiled awkwardly. "Well, welcome to Luveldom Academy. Let me take these," she grabbed both my suitcases without waiting for my approval. She pushed the metal handles down and held the handles that were on the sides of the suitcase instead.

"So, what's your room number?" She lifted both suitcases in her hands all without difficulty. It was as if they were weightless, this must've been because of her Vampire abilities.

"Uh... the fifth floor- door number three," I had barely had time to read my schedule so it was a bit of a minor challenge for me to find my dorm number. "Oh, that sucks. There's no elevator so it's all stairs," I was genuinely surprised as this school looked expensive and seemed to have many facilities. The building I was currently in really looked like a museum.

"Oh my gosh, how does everyone cope?"

"We just do. Fae can fly to their floor, Vampires have speed, Werewolves have stamina. Witches and Mermaids are usually on the first two floors to avoid all the walking so actually... I don't know why you are on the last floor? Did you perhaps apply late?" That must've been it. I also had to fill in a form that asked if I were comfortable boarding with Supernaturals who were of a different kind than me. I ended up ticking the yes box. "What floor are you on then?"

"I actually don't live in the dorms. I live with the Headmistress. Her and my Father are a thing but the house is still on the grounds." Did that make her my cousin... I'm not sure if she even knew. I didn't have anything to say as my mind rambled instead. Yumena caught on and decided to continue speaking.

"So, we're going to drop your bags off and then I shall give you a tour of this place."

"Thanks, I've honestly never seen anything like this. All of this is new to me like no joke," I recognized the path back to the main entrance. We passed through the door that was underneath the double staircase.

An abundant green garden caught my attention. The aromas of the earth instantly tapped my nostrils. The smell was fresh since it was currently drizzling and some tiny droplets of rain rested on the leaves while others fell. "This is your first time being around Supernaturals?" The pitch in her voice went higher which gave me the impression that what I said was shocking. "Yeah I only found out about all of this like a few days ago." Her eyebrows raised and she inhaled a long breath of air. "Wow, it's as if you're a human. Your outfit already set you apart and now this," I furrowed my eyebrows for a quick second before relaxing my face again. I wasn't sure I wanted a tour of the school from this icy Vampire anymore and by the way, there was nothing wrong with my outfit.

Straight jeans, a black hoodie, and a black button-up crop top underneath. "Yeah I guess," the annoyance was evident in my tone and I didn't regret it one bit. Yumena and I walked on a long stone path that was situated in the middle of a large field of freshly cut grass and the further we went the more Supernatural students I couldn't help but notice. A lot of them looked like the average student that I would find back at home but some had very distinctive features that would definitely make them stand out in the outside world.

We reached the end of the field and on our right was the earthy path to the Boarding House. Yumena had informed me that if we had gone along the left path it would have lead to the dorms for the boys. We entered the arch of trees which was the starting point of a lively forest with birds chirping and dancing leaves. "Woah," I couldn't see clearly due to the line of trees squeezed closely together but a group of figures with advanced speed blurred past us. I'm sure Yumena must've gotten a good look at them due to her strong

Vampire vision.

"Where are they heading?" I asked. "If I'm being honest, they're probably going for a smoke. Something illegal at that," we had reached the Boarding House. The aged, white paint and green vines growing on the buildings reminded me of an apartment building in Europe. The aesthetic of the exterior raised my excitement levels. I was eager to see the inside of the Boarding House and the rest of Luveldom.