4 - Eva.

My heart flutters in my chest as I stare up at the dark, intimidating building. Its cold stone and harsh lines only foreshadow what’s waiting for me inside. The columns that flank the entryway all along the many meters of facade only add to its imposing effect.

I swallow hard, realizing I’m about to enroll in a school full of the spawn of murderous criminals who are probably exactly like my parents. “Please don’t leave me here, mother,” I say, pleading at her with my eyes.

Her expression hardens as she glares at me with no emotion whatsoever. “The Syndicate Academy is the perfect place for you to learn discipline, Eva.” She tucks a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. “You need to learn what kind of behavior we expect of you as the sole heir to the Carmichael Clan.” I hate when my mother calls me the sole heir, as all it does is remind me of my loss–our loss, and yet the way she says it, you’d think her child wasn’t dead and buried.

Karl, my older brother, died two years ago. Unli