Meeting Sabrina Blackwell

Delilah

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed after examining the outfits lying on my bed. I was supposed to attend the Nocturne Academy’s Back to School Mixer in an hour, and feared that even my best outfit would look like absolute rags compared to the other girls. I could picture the girls wearing designer clothes and heels fresh off the runway, and toting handbags worth as much as a semester’s tuition.

“I’m not going,” I sighed to myself.

I tensed when I heard the front door to my dorm suite open.

“Delilah?” a feminine, but firm voice called out. “D? Are you here?” A faint smile tugged at the corner of my lips. “Knock, knock,” the girl I assumed to be my roommate said after rapping her knuckles against my open door.

I opened my mouth to greet her, but couldn’t find the words. She was just that…striking. She was slender and tall, with pale, delicate skin like a porcelain doll and bright amber eyes shrouded behind long, black lashes. Her smile was blinding, distracting me from her perfect nose and pouty pink lips.

Why Moon Goddess? Why did you pair me up with a literal supermodel? Hasn’t my self-esteem suffered enough?

“H-hi. You must be Sabrina.”

“I am,” she replied, gliding into my bedroom. “It’s so lovely to meet you finally, Delilah,” she said, surprising me by yanking me into a hug. Her arms encircled me, and her strength took me aback. I was able to breathe again when she finally let me go.

“It’s lovely to meet you, too, and thank you…thank you so much for the room. You didn’t have to do this.”

She blew a raspberry and waved me off as if to say it was no big deal, but she’d be wrong; it was a huge deal.

“Don’t mention it. I told you this was to pay you back because of my snooping, overprotective parents.” She growled when soft tinkling echoed from her handbag. “Speaking of overprotective parents,” she huffed, snatching her sleek cell phone out of her bag. “Excuse me. I must take this or suffer the embarrassment of my family’s bodyguards making an unwanted appearance. Hello?” I watched as Sabrina’s brows pinched at the center of her forehead. “Mom, I’m fine. Ye—no, I don’t need you to turn the jet around.” Sabrina rolled her eyes and made me laugh when she pointed a finger gun at her head and pulled the trigger. “I do miss you. Mhm. Mhm. I will. Send Papa my love.” She ended the call and frowned at the phone.

“Is everything okay?”

“Not really. We have less than an hour to make it to the mixer, and neither of us is dressed. Is that what we’re working with?” she asked, pointing at my pitiful outfit selection.

“I didn’t anticipate bringing nicer clothes.”

“Don’t worry about it; follow me. I have an outfit that’ll be perfect on you.”

Sabrina left, and I was about to follow her to her bedroom when a prickly sensation overcame me. It wasn’t unpleasant; however, it was foreign and would take time to get used to. I considered ignoring it because nothing good would ever come of it, but defying fate was easier said than done.

I approached my bedroom window and pulled away the sheer curtains with a shaky hand. Professor Elias Grey, my mate, stood several yards away under the shade of a tall oak tree. He lazily took a drag of his cigarette as he watched me, silently daring me to take my eyes away. I was so drawn to him that I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to. The assembly was pure torture. I sat amongst my peers and was forced to overhear how hot they thought my mate was, and all the nasty things they’d allow him to do to them. I had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from declaring he was mine.

Without thinking, I lifted my hand and waved at the devilishly handsome man. He sneered at me in disgust before dropping his cigarette to the ground and snuffing it out with his shoe. His mouth gaped when I flipped him off.

“Rude ass,” I huffed, snapping the curtains back together.

“Oh, my Goddess, Delilah. I was in there talking my head off, and you were still here. Let’s go. We have to find you something to wear that’ll knock Julian’s socks off.

“Knock Julian’s socks off?”

“Duh! Anyone with eyes can tell that he likes you.”

“Wait…how do you know that?”

Sabrina sighed and produced her phone again, swiping at the screen.

“Oh, no,” I murmured when she turned the phone around to show me a picture of Julian and me in the courtyard. It appeared that we were intimately close with his arm wrapped around me, but the photo didn’t show what happened a few seconds prior. We were walking towards my dorm when we passed through a sea of students. I was jostled by an eager student who thought tossing a football around with his friends was a good idea. Julian had put his arm around me to pull me on the other side side of him to protect me from the mindless jock.

“Oh, yes! Landing a Lancaster is a big freaking deal. His family? Loaded.”

“Aren’t most of the kids here loaded?” I questioned, following her to her bedroom.

“True, but he’s in the top ten wealthiest kids at Nocturne Academy. His family owns a very lucrative global shipping company. You’ll be set for life if you two get together.”

“I’d rather not.”

Sabrina dropped the flimsy dress she was examining onto her bed, and I prayed she was picking that out for herself, not me.

“Why not?” Sabrina asked curiously.

“Because dating him would bring a lot of negative attention my way.”

Sabrina clucked her tongue.

“Don’t let those girls get to you, Delilah. They’re just a bunch of jealous bitches. Anastasia? She’s miserable because her father’s in prison for five years.”

I gasped.

“What did he do?”

Sabrina shrugged nonchalantly and swiped the dress up again.

“He didn’t pay his taxes to the council. Elder Caspian Grey did not let that slide and had Mr. Ashford jailed. Anastasia’s bitter because she can’t hug her father for four more years. She’d be lucky if they’d let him out for good behavior so he can witness her walk the stage. I love this on you,” Sabrina cooed, holding up the skimpy dress to my figure.

“Thanks, but no thanks. I can’t wear this.”

“Why not?” Sabrina pressed.

“Because it’s not me.”

My eyes widened when Sabrina grabbed my chin and tilted it up towards her.

“Delilah…you are not the young woman you were a few hours ago when your parents dropped you off with a suitcase, well wishes, and reminders to do your homework and make them proud. That Delilah is gone, and if by some small reason I’m wrong, Nocturne Academy will make sure you don’t leave the same way you came—probably sooner rather than later.”