He holds the key out above me. “Nice to meet you, Harper.”
“Would you look at that?” A female voice trills. “She’s been here less than an hour and she’s already on her knees for Liam.”
I hop to my feet and grab my key before turning to see the bitchy girl I ran into earlier.
“Jealous, Tasha?” Liam asks. “I still remember the sounds you make when your legs are spread.”
“On that note, I’m out of here,” I say, not bothering to defend myself to Tasha.
She’s standing in front of the door, her arms crossed over her chest. She glares at me as I walk toward her. “Careful, new girl. You’re playing with fire.”
“He’s all yours,” I say as I push past her.
“Remember that,” she says.
I roll my eyes as I walk toward my room. This time, I keep my fingers tight around my key. I’m not losing this thing for anything.
“You know where to find me if you want to pick up where we left off,” Liam calls after me.
I lift my middle finger without even looking back. Guys like that don’t see reason. They don’t understand other people’s feelings. They’re dangerous. Liam especially. While I was in there with him, there was a part of me that wanted to continue. It didn’t make sense. He wasn’t a good guy and I knew I needed to stay far away from him.
The key slides into the door and with a little click, the lock releases and I turn the handle. As soon as I close the door behind, relief washes over me.
I lean back against the door and close my eyes, taking deep breaths. Today has to have been the worst day of my life. Actually, the last two days have been terrible. I lost everything.
All I want to do is curl up in a little ball and hide from the world for the rest of the day. Opening my eyes, I look around the room. A couch spans the back wall directly in front of me. A small table sits in front of it. To my right there’s a kitchenette with a small fridge and a two-burner stove. A coffee pot and a blender sit on the counter.
I step into the living room space and look left and right to see matching doors. Crossing the room, I open the door on the right and see the bedroom. There’s clothes on the floor and a crochet blanket on the bed.
Someone lives in that room.
I walk to the other door and step inside. It has the same bed as the other room but this room is bare. The bed looks like it’s never been touched and there are no personal items. Apparently, I have a roommate and she or he has claimed the other room.
Thankfully, my new room has its own bathroom with a shower, sink, and toilet. And across from the bed is a wardrobe filled with ugly uniforms. There’s a few pairs of pajamas, two pairs of jeans, and a couple plain tee shirts. Surprisingly, everything is in my size.
As much as I don’t want to believe anything that they told me today, I know it’s all true. I also know there are powers here I can’t even comprehend. Magic, I suppose. More than once I’ve been made to do things against my will. And that was not okay. If I want to survive here, I’ll have to figure out a way to fight back.
I wonder if that is what they teach at this school. I mean, what exactly am I expected to learn at a school for demons, anyway?
I sit down on the bed as the truth weighs heavily on me. I’m not a demon. I’m not even sure what I am anymore. Apparently, my mother had been an angel. Which makes me half angel. What if I can’t learn the magic that has been used against me? Do angels have magic? Do half angels have magic? Is that what I’m in for while I’m stuck here? And then what comes next assuming I do make it out of here? I end up serving that crazy, scary prince? None of this is how I expected my life to turn out.
No wonder everyone has such low odds on me surviving.
I dump out the contents of the envelope on the bed and pick up the paper that has my schedule printed on it. I have two classes a day, Monday through Friday. And they change daily. So that’s going to be fun to memorize.
I read the names of the classes and instantly feel overwhelmed. It’s like being in a video game or a fantasy novel. Classes likeNavigating Ley Lines,Magic for Non-Demons,andDivinationblur together on the paper.
Realizing there’s nothing I can do about it tonight, I set the paper down. There’s one thing in the world that always makes me feel better. A good shower. Seeing as I have nowhere else to be and a threat aboutnotattending dinner, it seems like the perfect time.
The hot water is comforting and helps ease my tense muscles. I sink down to the tile floor and let the water flow over me. For a few minutes, I feel numb. Then all at once, everything crashes in around me and I let the tears flow.
In the last forty-eight hours, I lost everything that was important to me. My two best friends, my freedom, my life. All of it. Just gone. And to top it off, these crazy assholes say that they’re demons. And that I’m in the Underworld. And I’m not human.
I feel more trapped than I ever have. There are no clear paths to navigate here. And I’m pretty sure I’m totally fucked. Anger swells deep within and I scream in frustration.
Suddenly, I hear something crash into the bathroom and I look out through the fogged glass just as a figure bursts through my door.
Screaming, I jump to my feet and cover myself as best as I can.