Frozen Fire - Volume One: Fragments

3: It's A Family Matter

 Cindy let out a shaky breath, taken aback by the sheer size of the structure in front of her. She'd heard Academies were large, so vast that you could find yourself lost in the endless corridors and stairwells, but seeing it all in person was entirely different. It was something out of a fantasy novel. She could feel her hands tremble as she gripped onto the side bag slung over her shoulder.

"You good?" Cindy glanced over her shoulder, looking back to the sleek black car that had driven her there. One of its tinted windows was rolled down, and there she saw Sylvie shoot her a smile. It was rare, these days, to see her sister smile. Sylvie wore an ice-cold expression, one that didn't change for anyone...

Well, anyone save her family. Cindy knew anyone who could make Sylvie smile was someone her sister would probably cherish with a fierce protectiveness.

As rare as it was to see her smile, it was even rarer to see Sylvie even step inside one of the family's cars. Her sister had all but separated herself from the family, and seeing her even associate herself with the Bishop conglomerate was mostly unheard of.

Yet, here she was. She'd insisted on being with Cindy as she was driven to her first day at an Academy. Cindy couldn't help but feel the tension on her shoulders alleviate, seeing the proud smile her sister wore. It was small, but her eyes practically sparkled with adoration. Cindy let out another shaky sigh.

"Just nervous, I guess," Cindy let out an awkward laugh as Sylvie nodded. She watched as her sister unlocked the car door and walked out. As she walked closer to Cindy, Cindy couldn't help but muse at the height difference. Sylvie was powerful, carrying a presence that intimidated anyone. Yet, Sylvie was shorter than Cindy by a few inches, causing her to have to look up to the girl whenever they spoke.

It was less that Sylvie was short, more that Cindy was 'freakishly tall' as Riley had joked a few times. Cindy watched as her older sister dusted off her shoulders and felt Sylvie's fingers move stray hairs into place, tidying Cindy's appearance. "Not going to pretend like I wasn't nervous on my first day either," she said, taking a step back. "It's a big change."

Cindy gave a nervous nod as Sylvie hummed. "But, you're the heiress for a reason. You're strong, Cindy," Cindy's grip on her bag relaxed as Sylvie continued. "It's a big change, sure, and it took me and Riley a few weeks before everything 'clicked' into place for us, but you have time to find your footing here," Sylvie looked over to the Academy. "Honestly, I wish you did come to Eternity Academy... but I think mom wants you away from us as much as possible." Sylvie muttered bitterly as Cindy bit the inside of her cheek.

She knew her sisters and their mother didn't have... the best relationship, to say the least. Sylvie was isolated for years and threw herself out when she had enough, whilst Riley felt overlooked most of her life.

Cindy felt a pang of guilt at that - she was the heiress, so their mother usually relented to her whenever she asked for something. Her father was constantly pushing for Cindy to 'enrich' her life with various experiences before taking on the role of CEO as an adult, and had almost killed her in a bear hug when she mentioned going to an Academy like he did.

Her sisters never had the love their parents gave Cindy growing up, and Cindy could see the toll it took on them. Cindy wanted to make sure she didn't add to that. So she chose to attend a different Academy than her sisters - the less time they spent looking after her, the more time they had to focus and work on themselves, right?

"Well," Sylvie said sharply, placing her hands on her sister's shoulders, "You'll do fine, and worst comes to worst, you have Sophia and Jade to help you out," The fact Sylvie's current housemate attended the Academy was comforting, it made Cindy less worried for the unforeseeable future. "Plus, unlike me, you have a friend from high school going here, right?" Cindy smiled.