ShadowFen Academy

*Sage POV*

I didn’t want to be at this damned school. I tried to get my aunt to allow me to just return home, but she refused. She said that until I learned some self discipline, I was stuck at private school. 

I don’t know what I had ever done for her to think I was a bad kid. I snuck out one time to go and see my dying grandmother at the hospital, and Kathrine sent me away. 

When my parents died, I was sent to live with Kathrine. My mother’s only living sibling. In turn, she did everything in her power to keep me away from my family on my father’s side. 

I had found out that my grandmother was ill through one of the pack’s kitchen workers, and nothing was going to keep me from going to see her. The rest is, well, history. 

I stayed with my grandmother until she passed, and when I returned home, my bags were packed. I was given a tote bag and fifteen minutes to finish gathering whatever else I would need. Then I was shipped off to Hardwick. 

I was at Hardwick for nearly four years before it burned down. Something that I was being looked at for, and I had nothing to do with it at all. However, I know who did it, and I’ll never tell. 

Now, I’m sitting in a musty library in a large, gorgeous, Victorian style building listening to one of the most gorgeous men I have ever seen. 

He seems to be around 6’6” tall, has dark hair that is styled to perfection, olive skin and dark brown eyes. His name is headmaster Draven Douglas, and he smells like wood moss and amber. 

I have hung on every single word he has said, and when he asked if there were any questions, I was the only one who raised my hand. I didn’t even know what I would ask when I did it. 

“What about meal times? We have been on that bus for nearly 3 hours, and I, for one, am starving,” I asked. 

His eyes locked on mine, and he answered my question in great detail. If anything, he was thorough. 

We were led into a banquet hall, and on tables lined against a wall, there was more food than I had seen in a long time. Much more than was ever offered at Hardwick.

I prepared myself an everything bagel with jalapeno cream cheese, a bowl of watermelon, a banana and a large glass of orange juice. I found a spot away from everyone, and sat to eat my breakfast alone. 

I had just taken a bite of my bagel when that deep voice that had me hypnotized during our introduction to the school spoke to me from behind. 

“Did you find everything alright? Help yourself as much as you like. We will be taking a quick tour in about thirty minutes. I hope you are able to settle in pretty quickly,” he said, and then walked away. 

I couldn’t even reply as I chewed my food. I didn’t notice him speaking to anyone else, and it made me wonder why he chose to speak to me out of everyone. The room was full of girls that were much more attractive than me.

Before we went on the tour, he asked us to go back into the library so that we could do introductions. He wanted to hear a little about our lives, as well as put names to faces. 

For the next forty five minutes it was a lot of listening to self-centered and self-absorbed bitches who were all too happy to talk about themselves for what seemed like forever. It got so bad that headmaster Draven had to make them stop. 

Then, it was my turn. I hated talking in front of people, and hated talking about myself and life even more. 

“My name is Sage Thorne, I will be eighteen in about three weeks, and I come from a decent sized pack in South Dakota. I’m basically an orphan. My parents died at the hands of our corrupt Alpha when I was twelve, and I have been living with my aunt ever since. That was until I disobeyed her and went to see my dying grandma on my dad’s side. That’s when she sent me to Hardwick, and I was there for four years before being forced to come here. I have no friends, and I like it that way. I won’t be a jerk to you, as long as you aren’t a jerk to me. I love to read, and be by myself. That’s it,” I said, and sat back down. 

“Miss, please stand back up. I have a few questions about things you said,” he said, and I cringed. What more could he want to know.

“Yes sir? I’m not sure what more I could tell you. That was pretty much it,” I replied.

His jaw locked, and it felt like his eyes were staring a hole straight through me. I didn’t know if I had something wrong, or what was going on, but I’m sure I’m about to find out.

“Your Alpha killed your parents? May I ask why?” he asked. He put me on the spot, and I wasn’t comfortable talking about it in front of everyone. I wasn’t sure how to get out of this, so I ran.

I ran as fast as I could, and when I came to double doors leading outside, I pushed through them and continued to run. I didn’t stop until I could no longer see the academy.

I collapsed to the ground, and tears started to stream down my face. No one had asked me how my parents died, or why, in years. I hated talking about it, because it brought back that painful memory.

I laid in the grass and stared at the clouds as they slowly passed by. In each one I tried to find the silver lining that this life was supposed to have. 

With each passing cloud, there wasn’t one. Only darker clouds moving in. If that wasn’t a metaphor for my life, I don’t know what it is.