Chapter 3

~ Aria's POV ~

I pushed my luggage inside the room assigned to me by the cartoon-like lady. I didn’t know her name, and since she looked like someone straight out of a TV show, I decided to give her a nickname.

I’ve always been fond of giving people nicknames. It’s one of the main reasons I often get into trouble with my classmates—but unfortunately for them, I’m a fighter, not a lover.

As I dragged all my luggage into my new room, I couldn’t help but wonder why my mom didn’t help me move in. I could vividly remember how she helped me settle into my dorm in my first year of college. She hugged me so tightly and didn’t want to let go. But now? She had rushed off, avoiding the question about why she lied to the cartoon-like lady, claiming my silver-white hair was dyed.

“Fuck me!” I exclaimed the moment I entered fully and realized I had a roommate. Her bed was on the left side of the room, with clothes scattered all over it—pink clothes, which just so happened to be my least favorite color.

It wasn’t the pink or the messy bed that bothered me. It was the fact that I had to share a room with someone—when I knew I had madness living inside of me.

The last time I had a roommate in college, she ended up hospitalized for a week. I beat her to a pulp after she spread rumors around campus that I smelled like rotten eggs—which was ridiculous. I smell amazing. Like jasmine and roses. Soft and sweet. Like a garden at dawn.

If my new roommate turns out to be someone I can’t tolerate, then I won’t hesitate to show her what I’m made of. But I shook that thought away. I made a promise to my mom—I’ll try to be nice. Even though niceness doesn’t come naturally to me. I’m only sweet to people who deserve it… and a tigress to those who don’t.

“No more fighting, Aria,” I whispered to myself with a smile and began unpacking my things the way I wanted. When I was done, hunger gnawed at me.

I had left Greystone Falls in such a rush. I checked my phone to see if I had any messages or missed calls from Mom—but there was nothing. Her new behavior stung deeply.

My eyes landed on a massive book on the table—it clearly belonged to my new roommate. It was so big, making it looked like a spellbook. Curious, I walked toward it and picked it up.

Just as I was about to flip through the pages, the book flew from my hands.

My brows furrowed in confusion.

“Yes! I did it!” someone squealed excitedly behind me. I turned quickly and saw a girl grinning at me. From her all-pink outfit, I could easily tell—she was my new roommate.

“My telekinesis is getting stronger! I can move big things now. Isn’t that incredible?” she giggled.

I blinked and glanced behind me before looking back at her. “Are you… talking to me?” I asked, pointing at myself.

“Of course! Who else would I be talking to? We’re the only ones here,” she beamed.

Then her eyes darted to a pen lying on the table, and in a blink, the pen floated straight into her hand.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to convince myself I wasn’t hallucinating.

“How did you do that?” I asked, eyes wide.

“Do what?” she said, twirling a strand of her clearly dyed pink hair. Unlike hers, my silver-white hair had always been natural—for as long as I could remember.

“You picked up that pen—without even touching it. You were all the way over there, and yet you were able to pick the pen” I said quickly, confused and overwhelmed.

“That’s called telekinesis. I’m still mastering my powers,” she said with a proud smile. “I’m Callista, by the way. And I’m a witch.”

I gave her a long, suspicious look. “Are you joking right now?” 

“Nope. I’m being serious. I’m a witch, but from one of the lower-ranked clans. When Miss Hellcat told me I’d have a roommate, I was over the moon! Finally, someone to chat with!”

Miss Hellcat? Was she referring to the cartoon-like lady?

“So… what clan are you from?” Callista asked excitedly. “With your natural hair, I bet you’re powerful. Tell me all about it!”

“What powers are you talking about?” I muttered.

The powers of madness? Or maybe my unmatched ability to fight back? Because that’s all I knew I had.

Callista opened her mouth to respond, but the loud, screeching sound of a bell cut her off.

“Oh my! It’s dinner time!” she grinned and suddenly wrapped her arm around me.

“Let’s go to the dining hall! You’ll meet everyone there,” she said, dragging me out of the room before I could protest.

The hallway felt endless as we walked.

“So, what’s your name?” she asked.

“Aria. Aria Nightshade,” I replied. “I’m from Greystone Falls.”

She stopped in her tracks.

“Greystone Falls? That’s a lovely town. Do you have friends there? Friends with powers like yours?”

Here we go again. What powers was she even talking about?

“I don’t have any friends in Greystone. My classmates weren’t the type of friends I needed,” I said honestly.

“Well, I’m your friend now! Witches like me are the friendliest. We don’t pick and choose friends like the vampires and werewolves do. They’re always fighting,” she laughed.

Vampires? Werewolves? What on earth was she talking about?

This school was strange. I could feel it in every fiber of my being.

“We’re here!” she announced loudly, nearly bursting my eardrums.

She opened the massive doors to the hall, and the moment I stepped inside, my jaw dropped.

The so-called dining hall was utter chaos—a full-blown fight had broken out between two groups. I’ve seen fights before, so that wasn’t what scared me.

What scared me… were the fangs and claws.

They weren’t ordinary students. They looked like the vampires and werewolves I’ve read about in stories.

They were fighting each other viciously, like their lives depended on it.

“What the hell is going on here?” I asked, my voice shaky.

“It’s just their usual routine,” Callista replied casually.

“I’m not talking about that!” I snapped. “Why am I seeing actual vampires and werewolves? Are they filming a movie or something?”

My heart pounded like it was about to explode from my chest.

Callista chuckled and slung an arm around me. “It’s not a movie. These are real vampires and werewolves. Here at Eclipse Academy, we have five types of supernatural beings: Werewolves, Vampires, Incubi, Dragons, Ghouls, and Witches,” she said matter-of-factly.

I shook my head. This couldn’t be real. Why the hell was I in a school full of monsters?

“Please tell me this is an illusion,” I said, my voice trembling.

“Nope,” she replied, still smiling. “It’s all real. Why are you so shocked?”

“Because I’m not one of you!" I yelled.

I must’ve yelled too loud—because the entire hall suddenly went silent, and the chaos stopped, their eyes turned to me.

Dozens of angry monsters stared at me, their fangs gleaming and thier claws raised—like I was their next meal.