LOGINThe next morning, Grimhalden was louder than usual. I knew something was happening before I even reached the courtyard.Someone was shouting, another was cheering. A wooden sword flew over the fountain.I stopped."...Should I be worried?" I said to Lila.Lila came up beside me, carrying two cups of tea."You should have been worried five minutes ago." She said, "What happened?"She handed me one of the cups."Inter-house tournament.""Today?" I stared at her."Every year." She nodded."How did I not know this?""You don't read notices.""I read important ones.""You missed the notice because it was literally under your name.""That's embarrassing." I looked at her. "Very."We walked toward the main courtyard.Four large banners hung from the academy towers. Students crowded around tables while instructors moved between them, calling names and checking lists. The noise was almost impossible to follow."Knife throwing!""Move!""You're in the wrong house!""Who stole my sword?""Th
AdrianThe academy was quiet before sunrise.I preferred it that way, it is the best time for a quiet moment. No students shouting across the courtyard. No instructors barking orders. No crowds. Just the cold morning air and the sound of his breathing.I stood alone in the training yard, a knife balanced between my fingers. The target waited twenty feet away, I threw and missed. The knife struck the wooden post beside it and dropped into the grass.I stared at it and picked up another, and I missed again. A third knife left my hand, it struck the outer edge of the target and not the centre.Footsteps approached behind me."You've missed the same target three times."I didn't turn, I immediately knew who it was. "I'm aware." I answered.Instructor Kael stopped beside me."You usually don't miss." He said. "Everyone misses." I answered."Not you." He added.I finally looked at him."Are you here to train me or annoy me?" I asked. "Both, apparently."I sighed and picked up another kn
The notice appeared after breakfast. A single sheet of paper pinned to the announcement board.FAMILY VISIT WEEKENDFor a moment, the entire courtyard fell silent.Then…"My dad's coming!""My brothers are bringing food!""I haven't seen my grandmother in months!"Students rushed toward the board, talking over one another until it became impossible to hear a single conversation.Lila smiled."My aunt never misses Family Weekend.""My parents are coming!" Maeve clasped her hands together."You say that like it's a surprise," Selene muttered."It is. They almost never leave the valley."Selene folded the notice into neat quarters before slipping it into her pocket."My father will probably arrive before everyone else.""You don't sound excited," I said."I'll survive."That wasn't really an answer.………………………………………………………………………………….The academy looked different two days later. Carriages rolled through the front gates, children chased one another across the courtyard. Parents hugged studen
I woke up to someone pulling my hair."Lila," I mumbled, eyes still closed."I'm almost done.""You've been saying that for five minutes." I said with frustration."Beauty takes time.""My scalp disagrees."She gave another determined tug."Ouch!""There." She said.She stepped back proudly. I sat up and reached for the small mirror hanging beside my bed."...What happened?"Lila blinked."What do you mean?""My hair.""It looks nice.""It looks... surprising."She folded her arms."I tried.""You absolutely did."Maeve walked in carrying a pile of folded uniforms. She looked at me once, then at Lila, then back at me."...Should I laugh?" Maeve said. "No," Lila answered quickly."Yes," I said at the same time.Maeve covered her mouth."I'm trying very hard not to." She said, turning her back.Breakfast was somehow worse. The girls' dormitory had recently decided that every room would take turns preparing toast for the common table.Today, It was Maeve's turn. She proudly carried in a
The first thing I heard this morning wasn't the academy bell. It was music, and it was completely off-key.I opened one eye. Lila stood in the middle of our dorm room with a hairbrush in one hand, swaying from side to side as though she were performing on a stage instead of standing in mismatched socks."...What are you doing?" I mumbled into my pillow."Dancing.""I can see that."She pointed the hairbrush at me."You should join.""It's too early.""That's exactly why."I buried my face deeper into the pillow."No."Lila ignored me.She grabbed my wrist and tugged."Up.""I'm asleep.""You've been arguing with me for thirty seconds.""I can multitask."She laughed."I missed this."I blinked at her."...Missed what?""You."For a second, neither of us said anything. Then she smiled again, lighter this time."The real you."Before I could ask what she meant, she spun once and held out her hand."One dance.""Lila...""One.""If anyone sees us”"They won't.""They absolutely will.""S
"It's snowing."Someone near the window gasped.The first snow arrived during Professor Rowan's lecture. At first, nobody noticed, then every head turned at once.Outside, tiny white flakes drifted through the morning sky, settling gently over the stone towers of Grimhalden.For a moment, Rowan looked. Then he calmly closed his book."Class dismissed."The room stayed silent."...Really?" someone whispered.Rowan picked up his notes."It's the First Snow."He looked around the room."Try not to break anything expensive."Then he walked out. The classroom exploded.By the time I reached the courtyard, it barely looked like the same academy. Snow covered the rooftops.The old statues wore white caps. Students were outside, some were throwing snowballs, others were building crooked snow wolves that looked more like oversized sheep. Music drifted from somewhere near the dining hall. Long tables had been carried outside, covered with pastries, roasted chestnuts and steaming mugs of chocol







