Violets and Ash

Chapter 3

The moment Sylvia's driver picked us up from the airport, I was determined to soak everything in.

We drove through a bustling city, where the buildings were towers plucked from story books, so high that they kissed the clouds that surrounded them. People walked on pristine sidewalks free of cracks or holes, most with briefcases or cellphones pressed to their ears.

Traffic thickened and thinned, becoming smoother when the two lanes we drove down opened up into four. It was at this point the trees began to multiply into densely packed forests, and the magnificent buildings grew scarce. During the drive I snagged Elijah's phone and looked at the first map I could get my hands on.

The Nightfall pack was named for the starry sky that overlooked the bowl-shaped valley it rested in, and was known for its Redwood trees, which stood taller than any other in the world.

We drifted into a town where the buildings looked shiny and new. There were plenty of expensive looking boutiques, restaurants, and little cafes. Workers climbed ladders to hang wreaths wrapped with ribbon on the light posts spaced every twenty feet. We hit a rough patch of traffic and slowed as we neared a crosswalk full of people.

I leaned forward, positioning myself in between the front seats when I caught a glimpse of the small crowd crossing the road. Most had backpacks sagging with books, or purses clutched in their hands. Sprinkled in between them were a few men and women closer to Elijah's age.

My eyes traveled to where they were coming from, widening as I took in the castle hundreds of feet across a giant lawn. It wasn't exactly a castle, but the hundreds of windows, gable roofs, and stone exterior, made it look like something plucked right out of a fantasy novel. Shaped like a giant 'U,' it wrapped around a courtyard sprawling with pathways, benches, and flower speckled bushes.

"Darkling University." The driver said, his unidentifiable accent thick as he tipped his head in the direction of the castle. "The best in the country. The families here in town spend many years training their children for Darkling. Everyone else pays an arm and a leg to get in—even the humans."

There was this odd sensation in my stomach as I watched a group of girls exit through an ancient wooden door, their heels clicking against the cobblestone as they walked one of the many winding paths. The one at the lead, whose hair cascaded down her back in caramel waves, nudged another with her elbow. I couldn't make out what was said, but it had both girls erupting in laughter.

The crossing guard, who was a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair, openly gawked at the trickle of young women dressed in plaid skirts and crisp blazers. He waved a few cars forwards until ours scooted up to the bold white line.

As the group of she-wolves I'd been staring at crossed, I was able to make out more of their features. The one with the caramel waves, who also had the longest legs I'd ever seen, was clearly the head of the group. The one by her side whose ribcage she nudged with her elbow, was second-in-command.

As though she could feel a set of probing eyes on her face, the girl at the lead turned her head and stared straight through the windshield of our car. I sucked in a harsh breath and turned my head, but the feel of her eyes remained on my face until the crossing guard waved us forwards and we drove out of sight.

As Sylvia's driver spoke of the little boutiques and luxury restaurants that served as the crowned jewels of Darkling Street, I stared out the window and let the vibrant colors and coolness of the glass lull my anxious mind. We followed the road, which served as one of the arteries leading to the heart of town and slowed as we approached an intersection.

To our left and right sat gated communities with large wrought iron fences. Positioned out front where everyone on the main road could see, were signs with elegant cursive giving names to the pristine cul-de-sacs. The houses in each were shrouded by the bushy trees that served as the first line of defense, but I could make out a few private swimming pools and what looked to be a golf course.