Page 38 of Wicked Dove
Did she just do that with her magic? Surely not.
I don’t dare ask. I’m too speechless over the whole interaction with Thorne to be able to piece a question together. Even as we make it outside, I’m still caught up on him, and with a swift check over my shoulder to make sure no one is following us, I clear my throat. “So, is he friends with Kael and Rion?”
Ocean scoffs. “I don't know if any of them are friends. Not really,” she admits, and I frown.
“What does that mean?”
She shrugs as we start to take the slight incline toward The Vale. It’s crazy how you can’t see what lies on the other side of the slight peak, yet once at the top, you can see everything for what seems like miles.
I appreciate the sun ghosting over my skin like a gentle embrace as she unlinks our arms and sighs again. “The reality of the supernatural world, Elodie, is that good attracts good andbad attracts bad. They're the latter, through and through, and it's not the fake it till you make it with red dye type of bad. It's the real kind.”
I gulp at her warning. “Are they all vampires?” I ask, and she shakes her head.
“No, just Kael. Rion is a wolf, and Thorne is a shadow fae, thelastshadow fae.”
My eyebrows rise in surprise, even though none of it makes sense. “I don't know what a shadow fae is,” I admit, and she offers me a tight smile.
“You're better off keeping it that way.”
If I wasn’t already worriedabout someone stalking me, I definitely am now after Rion found me in Institute Twelve yesterday. I imagine if I had stayed with Ocean, I would never have known he was there. I would also be familiar with my surroundings right now, but instead, I’m slightly overwhelmed, and we’ve barely seen anything The Vale has to offer.
The dining hall is dead center of the town, and everything else is closed right now, including access to the academic building, which doesn’t open for another twenty-five minutes. I need to eat as fast as I can so I can explore whatever awaits me next.
“Are you ready?” Ocean asks, waving her hand at the building before us. It appears to be made entirely of white frosted glass, featuring a thick, red line that runs around the middle of the walls, matching the door frames of the entryway.
I offer her a tight smile. She must sense my nerves, but I hum in agreement as my stomach grumbles, confirminghow desperate I am to get in there. “I'm starving,” I mutter, embarrassed by the sound, and she shakes her head.
“Oh, I didn’t mean are you ready for the food. I know you need that. I mean…” She doesn't say another word as we approach the doors, which swing open to reveal what can only be described as carnage.
There are people everywhere. Specifically, students. Each one wearing the same uniform as me, with guys in pants, of course, but the only difference is some don’t have aubergine stitching; they have red, or orange, or another concoction that makes up the rainbow.
The purple on mine must represent Institute Thirteen. I hadn’t considered that.
Noise echoes around the massive room as the chatter grows louder and louder, but I look past the students to take in the surrounding area. There are thirteen different zones, each a different color. Red, orange, yellow, pink, purple, green, gray, white, black, brown, teal, peach, and burgundy.
It takes me a moment, but I realize the aubergine purple stitching is the same shade and the embroidered emblem on my chest is the same symbol as the section at the far end of the dining hall. If the coordinating colors didn’t give it away, the labeled sections would. Red is for Institute One, and from there, the colors form an order, including the institutes that have been abandoned.
Following Ocean down the center of the room, I notice each section comes with its own food, counter, tables, chairs, and… vibe. I already know Thirteen is going to be the worst. It’s right at the end, lifeless and dingy, as though it was an assigned space after everything else had been decided, like we were an afterthought.
I take the purple tray Ocean offers and join the line for the food. There are no options as I approach the servers. It’s abowl of porridge, and an apple. I frown down at it, considering whether it’s worth it or not, but my stomach chooses that moment to grumble again.
Disappointment weighs heavily on my shoulders. I would die for a boxed mac and cheese right now, regardless of what time of the day it is.
Following after Ocean, I glance toward section one, where I know I smelled the sweet goodness of buttermilk pancakes, but it seems we don’t get the same offerings. Trying to ignore that fact, I round the end of the table to sit across from Ocean with my back to the rest of the room.
We’re right at the end of the table, while a dozen other Institute Thirteen students crowd the opposite end.
“I’m sorry we're alone. I don't have the best reputation,” she murmurs, keeping her head down as she takes a spoonful of her porridge, and I shake my head.
“If anything, I'm grateful,” I say with a smile.
Glancing down the opposite end of the table, I expect to see unwanted eyes on me, but to my surprise, it’s like I don’t exist. I definitely like it. This will help while I avoid unnecessary drama and try not to let people realize I do exist.
Reassured, I lift my spoon to my mouth, loaded with porridge, and dig in. I cringe at the tasteless concoction, but push through in an attempt to fuel myself. Everyone seems to be in their own world until the doors swing open and a trio of men enter the room, capturing everyone's attention.
Kael, Rion, and Thorne.
They move with an air of swagger I've never seen before, cutting down the center of the segregated walkways with every pair of eyes on them. It’s already clear, they're a force to be reckoned with. My gut twists in agreement. I may have only just arrived, but I’ve seen how this kind of thing pans out. The cheerleaders will be hanging on them any moment.
