Of Life and Death: [A Dark Academia Paranormal Romance]

Chapter 12

Black spread her arms wide in a behold! gesture. "And this is the Var-bar!"

I look around with interest. So far we'd gone through the largest school library I've ever seen, a medieval-style dining hall, an auditorium, art studios, courtyards--and the practice rooms... Each room was fortified with rare metals--I'd asked Sofia why the walls of one were lined with aluminum and she'd said, 'It repels heat. We've had elementals shoot fireballs through the walls. Almost burned down the whole school.'

Just how dangerous are the students at Elmore?

Now we're in our tower. Vargoth. At one division of the huge common room is a well-stacked bar. The lamps below the cabinet shine green, illuminating the lacquered table surface and huge show glass behind.

"Two bottles of whiskey for I and the lady!"

I snap to attention. "No--"The bartender disappears into thin air. I blink.

"Don't worry, it's on me." Black says with a bright smile, turning to me. Like that's the problem.

"I don't drink," I tell her.

Her brows rise. "Why?"

Because I don't want to be a f*cking addict anymore.

"Nothing. Could do without the added disorientation."

"Okay, suit yourself."

When her order comes, she settles into a high stool. I follow suit, resting my elbows on the smooth surface. Other students are in the bar as well, some lounge against the fireplace, legs thrown over armrests of expensive leather, others traipse along the floor to ceiling library, with a few sat at the sleek grand piano in the corner. The low murmur of chatter and distant laughter float through the space. I notice there's a reoccurring colour theme, green and orange. It's in the cushions, the rugs, paintings. Flag.

A robed man holds a green flame, tan cloak billowing in the wind.

When I feel eyes on me, I tear my gaze away from the hall, facing forward. I drum my fingers on the table, growing bored with tracing the polished wood. My mind wanders.

I didn't even tell him thank you...

Once the boy led me to Vargoth, he'd turned away, leaving me to watch that broad, retreating back. As he'd turned out of sight, I released a loaded breath, unaware I'd been tense. He seemed to do that, leave you painfully aware of his presence. And worse, of yours.

Never mind that he was crazy.

What danger?

The only thing I'm in danger of is falling victim to his tricks. The people at Elmore really are bored out of their minds.

Black gets another refill and the smell of alcohol wafts into my nose. At once, longing slams into me. My fingers curl tightly in a desperate move to suppress the frenzy building within me. My mouth salivates and I feel it, guilt.

I turn away, meeting gazes with a redhead. She watches me closely, sipping from her glass the same time a slow smile pulls her lips. A trickle of alarm slides down my spine.

The room goes quiet when the scrape of her chair sounds. She stands.

Once she starts to draw closer to me, excited gazes trail her movements. Am I missing something?

She stops in front of me. "Hogging the new girl, Soph? Not even going to introduce us?" she asks her but never takes her eyes away from me.

With a sigh, Sofia says, "Emma, meet Sharlene. Shar, meet Emma."

Shar smiles. "Hi, Emma." She stretches out a hand.

I return her smile. "Hi." When I take her hand, my heart stops. Literally. Bolts of electricity travel down my arms and I scream, my spine going ramrod straight. Blackness plunges me under and when a familiar cold descends my body, I feel my breaths cease. No. No. No...

The smell of sulphur pricks my senses, the furious wingbeat of vultures darkening the sky. A man's hazy figure. His rotting mouth--

"Wake up!"

Hands shake at my shoulders roughly and when my ears ring, I realize I've been screaming. Toeing the edge of another destructive blackout.

I jolt up with a gasp, head swimming. Gradually my surroundings register.

I'm on the floor. Girls with frightened gazes stand around me, peering down. One of them holds a bucket over me and it's then I realize. I'm wet. Blood roars through my ears, anger digging rancid claws into me. "That b*tch!" I spring up, shoving my way through the crowd in search of the girl.

Someone grips my arm hard. I struggle against the grip but it's too strong. I am being dragged into another room. Once the door closes, Sofia pushes into my line of vision. "Trust me, you do not want to fight Shar!"

"What the f*ck did she do to me!?" I screech.

"Look, it's normal! You're not the first, you're not going to be the last."

Water drips into my eye and I wipe at it furiously. "What does that f*cking even mean?"

"It means it's a friendly welcome from Vargoth's dorm prefect."

My heart races, the effects of the electrocution still fresh. I try to focus on her words. "Friendly?" I breathe.

"Yeah. That's friendly on her terms. You don't want to get on her bad side."

"And why should I care if I get on her bad side or not?"

She sighs, looking away. "Look... I'm sorry on her behalf. It's what she does, zaps every new Vargoth member. We just didn't think you were going to react like... that." Her fingers pinch the bridge of her nose and she mutters, "The girls are going to have a good f*cking laugh."

I don't say anything to that, still reeling.

"Come on," she says. "Let's go up to my room. Get you dried up."

She pushes the door open and I follow after her. I notice that as we cut across the common room, the girls nudge one another, their eyes sparking with laughter when they see me.

There's a staircase off to the side of the lounge and while the room is tastefully furnished, the stairwell is barren. Wrought iron rails encase stone stairs. My skin prickles, gooseflesh rising at the stark cold. We go up three flights, pouring into a long hallway. It's furnished. Chandeliers spiral down, illuminating the expensive rugs.

On either side of the stretching hallway are countless doors.

"Come on."

My eyes trail the decorations on the doors, each unique in their own way. We come across the room I'm assuming is Sofia's. Claw marks slash across the length of jer door and they would have been terrifying if they weren't a glittery pink.

She pushes the door open. "In the time you were at the admin, I tried to put a few things together." She points. "Got a spare mattress from the matron as well. You can put your stuff in the closet too, there's enough space the thing's ginormous. And here." She hands me a towel. I take it, swaddling myself.

The room is refined. Plush brown rugs cover a wooden floor, high ceilings connecting to climbing cream walls interspaced occasionally by large windows. There's a mini fridge in a far corner, replete with a coffee machine and an advanced sound system.

"There's a balcony, too," she supplies.

Following her directions, I spot a set of double doors. When I open it, I suck in a breath. I'm just in time to watch the sun set. Warmth engulfs the span of the forest, bathing the leaves in golden hues. I stay transfixed at the sight before getting distracted by movements in my side vision.

A tall turret stands to my left. Through the window, a shadowy figure stares back at me.

A chill spreads around my stomach.