#5 Blood, Bimbo's & Fate

Isandra POV

My skirt swished around my thighs as I adjusted the weight of my backpack and stepped into the portal. Uniform? Check. Skirt, black jacket, button up shirt, stockings, boots that made me feel dangerous as hell. Books, N.O.V.A., lip gloss? Check, check, check.

“Let’s get this over with,” I muttered. The portal pulsed, shimmered, and swallowed me whole. For a split second, it was like being squeezed through a cosmic straw, then I stumbled out into the Grand Arena, blinking into blinding light and roaring magic.

And holy shit. The place was massive, stone tiered seats wrapped around a glowing obsidian stage. Floating chandeliers hung mid air, humming with enchanted energy. A thousand students filled the arena, buzzing with anticipation, chaos, and some definite murder vibes.

I moved fast, trying to find a seat near the middle until I slammed hard into a solid wall of heat and muscle.

“Oh fuck!” My face smacked into a stone-hard chest. Sparks erupted along my arms. I gasped and stumbled back, already growling, “Watch where you’re going, you lunk!”

Then I looked up. And my mouth went dry. Holy mother of abs. Chestnut brown hair fell across sharp green eyes.

Stubble lined a perfect jaw. His neck and collarbone peeked out from his open shirt, inked, muscular, delicious.

He smelled like sin and cedar, my favorite.

My thighs clenched before my brain could catch up. He smirked. The bastard sniffed the air, just slightly, and leaned in. “Get out of my way, first year,” he snarled.

And then? The son of a bitch shoved me. Roughly. I stumbled back, my jaw dropping. He sauntered off toward the upper tier like a walking wet dream from hell and flopped down beside a Barbie clone, long blonde curls, giant tits, perfect face, and a “daddy buys my magic” aura.

I rolled my eyes so hard I saw stars. “Of course.”

“Well, that was dramatic,” Gen muttered. I kept moving and snagged a seat just as someone flopped beside me like a pink glitter bomb.

“HAAAIIII!!”

I flinched. “Whoa...hi?”

The girl next to me beamed so hard I thought she might combust. Bright pink hair in high buns, long pointy ears, sparkly lip gloss, and absolutely zero volume control.

“I’m Lila! Lila Gerrick! Love your hair! That purple streak? OBSESSED.”

She was bouncing in her seat, practically vibrating. I blinked. Then grinned. Okay. Maybe I had a friend. “I’m Isandra. First year, too?”

“YEP. You nervous? I’m nervous. Wait, are you excited? I’m excited. I might vomit but like, in a sexy way.”

I laughed. Loudly. “Gods, you’re chaotic.”

“Thank you.”

We chatted while students piled in. When I told her I had no memory, she froze. “Omg. I’m so sorry. That’s HORRIBLE. You don’t remember anything?! Not even your own face?”

“Nope. Just vibes and trauma.”

She covered her mouth. “Girl…”

Before we could unpack that emotional suitcase, the lights dimmed and the room snapped to silence. Out stepped the same woman from last night, elegant, terrifying, and carved from power. Her heels clicked as she moved to the stage, eyes sweeping across the sea of students.

“I am Headmistress Calvenne,” she said, voice like cut steel. “Let the House Selection begin.”

A glowing cauldron shimmered into existence beside her.

“When your name is called, come to the stage. A single drop of blood is all it takes.”

Oh good. Just blood magic in front of a thousand people. Casual. One by one, students stepped forward, pricked a finger, dropped their blood in the cauldron, and watched as the smoke rose, each color matching a house.

Red for DracoVanth.

Violet for NoctiShade.

Green for Venmire.

Silver-gray for Vargheim.

Then....“Lila Gerrick.”

“Eeeeeeeek!” Lila squealed, bouncing to her feet. “Wish me luck!”

“You got this,” I whispered.

She pranced to the front, pricked her finger, and dropped her blood. The cauldron hissed. Smoke curled upward in a thick silver mist.

“House Vargheim.”

The crowd clapped. I grinned. Wolf girl. Knew it. She bounced back, glowing. “Did you SEE that? Omg! I’m a Vargheim bitch!”

Then....“Isandra Haddock.”

I swallowed hard. My boots echoed as I walked toward the stage. Someone whistled. Someone else coughed loudly, “Slut.” My jaw tightened. I didn’t flinch. I stepped up, stabbed my finger with the rune needle, and let one drop of blood fall into the cauldron. It hissed. Cracked. Boiled.

Then silver gray smoke exploded upward in a swirling arc.

“House Vargheim.”

The crowd clapped again. A few howled. I turned around, smirking slightly. Let them look. It ended quickly after that.

Lila and I joined the stream of students heading toward the dining hall. “I’m applying for cheerleading,” she said. “I need those enchanted crop tops. What are you doing?”

“Bloodbane,” I said without hesitation. “Full contact or nothing.”

“YASSSSSSSSS,” she howled, nearly skipping. We both pulled out our N.O.V.A.s and tapped the sign up icons.

As we entered the dining hall, she leaned close. “Okay, girl. This place has a hierarchy.”

Of course it did. She pointed around as we passed the long tables. “Wolves and bears sit together. Jocks. Alphas. That’s us now. Across from them, the goth kids, vampires, witches, shadowborn.”

“Then there’s the nerd fae and the mages. Over there, that table with the arrogant hair flips? Dragons.”

“And over there...” she lowered her voice, “that’s the incubus table.”

I turned to look. And my soul left my body. A boy sat at the end of the far table. He had black hair like silk, and glowing blue eyes that practically lit the room. Sharp cheekbones. Sculpted lips. Small horns peeked through his messy hair.

A black spade shaped tail flicked behind him, and leathery wings were tucked tight to his back.

“Oh. My. Gods,” I breathed. “What the fuck is an incubus?”

“Sex demon,” Gen whispered. “Don’t stare. They’ll know.”

Too late. His eyes locked on mine, and his smile was lethal.

I turned away, heart racing, and loaded my plate with food like I wasn’t dying inside. We found a seat and barely had a chance to sit before a trio of feral pretty girls stalked toward us. The leader? Blonde. Gorgeous. Tall. Insufferable.

Full lips, sharp chin, tits that defied gravity. She stopped in front of me like she owned the air I breathed. “I’m Jacinda Krane,” she purred. “Daughter of the Alpha King. So… stay out of my way, and we won’t have a problem.”

I slowly stood. Met her eye. We were the same height. I smiled. “You don’t tell me what the fuck to do. Back. Off.”

Jacinda’s mouth twitched. Her little minions flinched. Lila cackled. “Y’all messed with the wrong bitch.”

Jacinda growled but spun on her heel and stomped away, straight to the same alpha asshole from earlier. She practically mounted him as she sat beside him.

I rolled my eyes. “Of course she’s with him.”

We ate. We had coffee. And then we walked toward the courtyard, where enchanted gardens shimmered under the rising sun. Lila skipped beside me.

“This place is chaos,” she chirped. “And I LOVE it.”

I grinned. Yeah. Same.