Dante's Weakness

Chapter 4

VELVET

When I walked to the dormitory moments later, I was exhausted. It was my first day on campus and I had already made an enemy because I couldn't keep my opinions to myself. My whole purpose of going up in the roof in the first place was undefeated, and I had had a stare down with Dante or whatever his name was till I turned I left, hoping he wouldn't come after me and gratefully he didn't.

When I reached the dorm, the headmistress was waiting for, a key card in hand and a neutral look on her face as she handed it to me like she was sick of dealing with rebellious teenage girls.

"I'm Celeste, the house mistress so you'll be seeing me a lot. Room B3, third to your left. I'm sure the headmistress had briefed you on the rules already. Curfew's at 10pm, no visitors after 10pm, no pets allowed and most importantly no fighting, you'll find yourself back to whatever America city you came from" she said sternly and I nodded, not sure if I needed to say something back.

"Well off you go then"

I walked off, towards the directions she gave and found my room. I turned the door slightly and it gave way, the sweet smell of cinnamon instantly hitting my nose as I peeked my head taking in the sight of the room before fully walking in. It was semi-large, big enough to fit two beds on opposite ends with individuals drawers and a bathroom. High ceilings loom above, cradled by thick wooden beams. Against one wall was a towering casement window draped with heavy, burgundy velvet curtains. The intricate diamond panes looked slightly distorted with time, filtering the light into a soft amber haze that spilled across the room. The other side of the room looked fully lived in, an unmade wrought iron bed, books littered across the polished mahogany desk, unfolded laundry in a basket and lounging on the chair. I walked to her side and picked up a book that caught my eyes 'We were Villians'. I flipped through the pages, it was my favorite dark academia, filled with Shakespeare, I was just about to place it back when the door flung open and a girl walked in. She stared at me for a brief second, and I stared back instantly recognizing her as the girl from the administrative building.

"You're the new girl" she said simply walking towards and pulling the book out of my hands "You're not supposed to touch other people's stuff"

"I'm sorry" I said instantly "We were villains is one of my favorite books"

She looked at my now, regarding me curiously "Really?" she asked and I nodded and I saw her face instantly light up. It felt like I had gotten her approval and for some reason it made me relax.

"I'm Dahlia" she stretched out her hands, her cherry red falling over her face "Dahlia D'Amico, I guess we're roommates"

"I'm Velvet De Luca"

"Interesting" she nodded, walking me to my side of the room and she sat on my bed, where my new school uniforms and new books lay. She took the student handbook I held in my hands and flung it away "You wouldn't be needing that, I'll tell everything you need to know, who you need to avoid to have a peaceful life here, and the best parties in school to attend"

"Parties?" I said puzzled

"Oh yes, we'll throw a lot of parties with booze and everything but the headmistress can't find out about anything. She's an old witch that likes to eat all the fun for lunch. Celeste is cool but sometimes she can be a sucker for rules, so be careful especially if you're bringing a boy to the dorm" she giggled, her dimples showing visibly.

"I doubt that" I said quietly

"Well never say never, a lot of hot guys sweating in Oxford shirts"

Suddenly her phone buzzed and in her hands and she hopped off from my unmade bed, instantly typing with an unconscious frown on her face before she looked up at me.

"I need to go, I'm meeting Rowan after his ballet class. We're supposed to hang out by the river, feed ducks and listen to underground artist or whatever" she was almost out the door, hopping in a miniskirt that stopped mid-thigh, completely dark panty hose with Oxford shoes and a green sweater before she stopped in her tracks and turned back to look at face, an expectant look on her face "Do you, perhaps my dear want to come along"

"Sure" I smiled, without even a slight hesitation.

We left the dorm, heading out to a tall castle-like building where different students trooped in and out in pairs or trios, murmuring among themselves, thankfully I didn't stand out so bad because it was past school hours and most students had dumped the uniforms for casual wears but still looked official because there wasn't a jean in sight, I guess I still stood out. Dahlia pulled me with her through the scanty halls and she stopped in front of a room where some students danced ballet, back straight and their toes against the ground, and a particular golden haired girl stood out to me, I watched in awe. She moved with precision as she executed a series of plies, her muscles contracting and releasing with controlled grace. Her golden hair was fastened into a tight bun with stray wisps framing her face, she was beautiful, the delicate kind of beauty that seemed tender to touch. Soon, the music stopped and everyone followed suit, I saw her glance in my direction but it was only for a moment and she looked away, talking to red haired boy who turned away from her sighted Dahlia, a bright smile on his face.

After a while, he walked out of the changing room, white shirt lazily tucked into loose pants, curly hair atop a sweaty forehead.

"This is Velvet, she's new and guess what? She loves dark academia" Dahlia beamed "Velvet, this is Rowan and he's gay"

"Sweet, welcome Velvet. You'll hate Alabaster but you'll love it at the same time" he smiled "Taylor Swift?"

"And Ariana Grande" I added

"I love her already" he beamed too, his smile reaching his eyes. Rowan was pretty, the sweet kind of pretty that felt warm and kind, his brown eyes radiated, glowed in a way that only seemed to be in people that were either truly happy or extremely faking it.

We were about to leave, when suddenly I heard someone call from behind "Dante! Over here!"

For some reason, I froze, stopped dead in my tracks. Dante was the guy from the rooftop. My heart skipped a mini beat. I didn't need to look because he was right in front of me, only a few meters away and when he turned back at the call of his name, his eyes met mine instantly. We held a stare for what felt like forever and I didn't want to be the first to look away. He smirked at my defiance.

But then, I only began to panic when he startedto approach me