Maldover Academy

Chapter 1 - To New Beginnings

September 9

     "I'm sure you'll do great at Maldover, Cordelia," her mother, Jasmine Proctor, said from the front seat. The family was on their way to Maldover Academy where Cora had been accepted as a student. Her father, Matthew, was driving, a small frown on his face while he stared straight ahead, not saying anything to support or deny his wife's statement.

     "Matthew, tell her," Jasmine prodded, gently elbowing his side from where she was resting her arm on the armrest.

     "As your mother said, Cora, you'll be fine. Just don't go around putting your nose into things it shouldn't be in like at Lucian Prep," her dad grumbled, glancing at his daughter in the rearview mirror.

     Cordelia was slumped in the backseat as she met her father's gaze in the mirror. She knew he didn't approve of her sudden transfer during her sophomore year of college, and he knew she didn't like to bring up Lucian. Cora simply nodded in response to her father, picking at a frayed thread on her plaid skirt. It was a hand-me-down from her mother, the brown and taupe colors slightly faded from how many times it's been washed between the two of them wearing it. With a soft sigh, Cora put her headphones in and looked out the window as trees passed by, wishing to already be at the school.

     After an hour or so the beat-up black Volkswagen finally pulled up to the school's gates. Eight feet of wrought-iron gate peered over the Proctor family's tiny car, covered in rust and foliage from the years of being planted in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. Her dad pulled up to where a speaker box was right beside the gate and pressed a black button that had the word PRESS written above it. 

     "Yeess?" a nasal voice spoke over the speaker. It was feminine, and Cora immediately imagined an old woman shriveled up in a chair speaking to them through the speaker. She smiled at the thought. 

     "Hi, yes, we're here to drop off Cordelia Proctor for school?" Her dad responded, glancing back at her mother and shrugging a bit when she raised her eyebrows. 

     "One moment, please," the voice responded. After a few seconds of waiting a loud buzz came from the speaker, the wrought-iron gate squealing and squeaking as it pulled open automatically. After they opened just enough for the tiny Volkswagon to squeeze through Cordelia's dad pulled onto the gravel drive. They followed various signs that were put out giving directions to freshman housing, eventually ending up in front of the House of Eurydice. 

     Her dad stopped right in front of the house, putting his hazards on and shutting off the car. Cora tucked her headphones into her leather bag and flung it over her shoulder, stepping out at the same time as her parents. Off to the side up on the porch of the house, a figure stood up, coming down the stairs toward them. 

    "Welcome to the House of Eurydice! I'm Jack, the Residence Coordinator, or RC, for Freshmen," the man said, a wide smile on his young face while he shook hands with Cora's parents. Cora looked him up and down and studied his clothing. Red sweater with a starch-white collar, pleated navy khakis, and matching loafers, his outfit looked too old for him. He couldn't be more than twenty-four, Cora thought, opening up the trunk of her car to pull out her suitcase. 

    Mr. Proctor studied the man quickly before morphing his face into a smile and shaking hands with the RC. He could be friendly when he wanted to be, just not with his daughter anymore. Mrs. Proctor came over to Cora and grabbed her pillows, smiling softly at her before closing the car trunk and locking it up. 

     "Your bedroom, Cordelia, is on the second floor, third door on the right. Across the hall from you is the bathroom for that floor," Jack said, reaching for Cora's suitcase to help, but Cora quickly pulled it back from him. 

     "It's Cora, actually, and it's alright, I've got my suitcase," Cora said, smiling faintly at the RC before walking up the stairs and into the house. Her dad began to apologize to the RC, staying behind so he could drill the poor man with questions about how things work at Maldover. 

     While Jack was getting interrogated, Cora looked around the main floor of the house. Making mental notes of where things were located for later on- kitchen straight ahead, stairs to the left, living room across from stairs- she made her way up to the second floor with her mother, counting each door before reaching the third on the left. Letting go of her suitcase for a moment she reached into her bag for the room key she received in the mail, using it to open the room. 

     Walking in, she was pleasantly surprised. There was a twin-sized bed tucked into the corner of the left side of the room with a desk beside it. The desk was right under a large arched window, receiving a perfect amount of sunlight for the afternoon. Right next to the door was a wardrobe, matching the wood of the desk. The bed had an iron frame, which had an eerily similar design to the gates outside of the school. Cora set down her bag on top of the bed and pulled her suitcase up to lay beside it, beginning to open it and unpack her items. 

     "This is a very nice room, Cordelia, I think you got a bargain with this window," her mom said as she walked in, setting Cora's pillows down at the end of the bed. "Do you think we can lift this bed any higher, or is it fine where it is for you?" she asked, glancing over at her daughter. 

     "What? Oh yeah, I think the bed's fine for now. If not I can raise it or something later on," Cora said, glancing up from the contents in her suitcase. She was a light packer, only bringing just enough outfits to last her two weeks without doing laundry. She began to refold her items before putting them away in the wardrobe's drawers, opening up the middle section in order to hang certain items like dresses and coats. There was no closet in the room, but the armoire held her tiny amount of clothing perfectly. Once she had finished up putting away her clothes she tucked her laundry basket right underneath the hanging coats. "Can you help me make my bed before you go?" Cora asked her mom, who was currently inspecting the window and the view outside of it. 

    "Sure, dear," her mom said with a smile, happy to help. They made her bed and finished up just in time for Cora's father to walk in with Jack, who had that same wide grin on his face. 

     "Alright, Cora, if you're all done up here I'd like to introduce to everyone in the common room. You were the last to arrive and now we've got to go over some ground rules," Jack said. Cora nodded and smiled meekly over at the young man before he turned and left the room, heading back downstairs by the sounds of his shoes clunking on them. 

     "Well, I guess this is goodbye, Cordelia," her mother said, tears welling up in her eyes. Oh great, not the tears... Cora thought, getting pulled into a hug by both her parents. "You be good, alright? Don't do anything to get in trouble," Mrs. Proctor added once her daughter was squished between the two parents. 

     "I won't, Mom," Cora responded. 

     "I'm serious, Cordelia-" her mother began to speak but was cut off by Mr. Proctor.

     "C'mon, Jasmine, let's get out of her hair for now. I'm sure she's overwhelmed already and this lecture won't help," her dad spoke, shocking Cora. He'd never sided with her before, but she quickly tried to hide the surprise on her face. She must have failed because under her dad's mustache was a hint of a smile. 

     With a few more hugs and teary goodbyes, Cora's parents left her in her room at the House of Eurydice, and she made her way downstairs to meet her new housemates. 

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So this isn't really edited & I'm kind of shite at grammar so if a sentence structure is wrong or if I messed up on present/past tense, etc. kindly tell me and I'll try to fix it :) 

Please let me know what you guys think so far, I'm super excited about this book!