Bound by Shadows

Elara immediately felt out of place.

Everyone here seemed to know exactly where they belonged.

Everyone except her.

She climbed out of the car and grabbed her bag.

"Call me tonight," her mother said.

"I will."

"And try to give it a chance?"

Elara sighed.

"I'll try."

Her mother hugged her tightly before getting back into the car.

A few minutes later, she was gone.

Just like that.

Elara was alone.

A cold gust of wind swept across the courtyard.

The bell tower above the academy chimed ten times.

Students began moving toward the buildings.

Trying not to look nervous, Elara followed.

Inside, the academy was even more impressive.

Marble floors stretched through long hallways.

Golden chandeliers hung overhead.

Portraits of former headmasters lined the walls, their painted eyes seeming to follow her every movement.

Not creepy at all, she thought.

A student volunteer led her to the administration office where she collected her class schedule.

By the time she left, she was already late for first period.

Great.

Exactly what she needed on her first day.

Elara hurried through the crowded hallway searching for Room 214.

Students brushed past her from every direction.

Voices echoed.

Lockers slammed.

Somewhere ahead, a teacher shouted at a group of boys running through the corridor.

As she rounded a corner, she collided with someone.

Books flew everywhere.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"

She dropped to her knees and scrambled to collect her things.

A blonde girl knelt beside her.

"It's okay," the girl laughed. "I wasn't watching where I was going either."

Together they gathered the books.

When they stood up again, the girl smiled.

"You're new."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Very."

The girl extended her hand.

"I'm Isabella."

"Elara."

"Nice to meet you."

For the first time all morning, Elara felt herself relax.

At least one person seemed friendly.

Before Isabella could say anything else, however, something strange happened.

The noise around them suddenly faded.

Students stopped talking.

Several moved out of the middle of the hallway.

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

As if someone important had arrived.

Or dangerous.

Elara noticed everyone's attention turning toward the far end of the corridor.

She followed their gaze.

And saw him.

A tall boy dressed entirely in black walked through the crowd.

Dark hair.

Sharp features.

Cold gray eyes.

He wasn't especially intimidating because of his size.

It was the way he carried himself.

Confident.

Detached.

Unapproachable.

Like he existed in an entirely different world from everyone else.

No one spoke to him.

No one got in his way.

The crowd parted naturally as he passed.

"What is happening?" Elara whispered.

Isabella's smile vanished.

"Oh."

"What?"

"That's Damien Blackwood."

The name seemed to carry weight.

Several nearby students glanced nervously in his direction.

Elara looked back at him.

For some reason, she couldn't look away.

At that exact moment, Damien turned his head.

Their eyes met.

The connection lasted only a second.

Maybe less.

Yet Elara felt something strange run through her chest.

Like an electric spark.

Damien's expression never changed.

No smile.

No curiosity.

Nothing.

His gaze was unreadable.

Then he continued walking.

Just like that.

Gone.

The hallway slowly returned to normal.

Conversations resumed.

Students relaxed.

Elara blinked.

"What was that?"

Isabella shifted uncomfortably.

"Told you you're new."

"You know him?"

"No."

The answer came too quickly.

Clearly a lie.

"Then why did everyone react like that?"

Isabella glanced around before lowering her voice.

"Because Damien Blackwood is trouble."

"How?"

"You'll hear the stories eventually."

"What stories?"

"Trust me."

Isabella grabbed her books.

"You don't want to know."

Then she hurried away down the hallway.

Leaving Elara standing there alone.

Confused.

And strangely curious.

The rest of the day passed in a blur.

Classes.

Teachers.

Introductions.

New names she immediately forgot.

But every so often, she caught herself thinking about the mysterious boy.

Damien Blackwood.

Who was he?

Why was everyone afraid of him?

What had he done?

Each answer seemed to create more questions.

By the time evening arrived, rain had begun falling again.

Students returned to their dormitories while thunder growled across the sky.

Elara unpacked her belongings inside her small room.

The dorm was quiet.

Almost too quiet.

After finishing her call with her mother, she sat beside the window.

Outside, darkness covered the academy grounds.

Lightning briefly illuminated the courtyard below.

For a split second, she spotted a figure standing alone near the old fountain.

A boy dressed in black.

Watching the storm.

Watching the academy.

Watching everything.

Her breath caught.

Damien.

Another flash of lightning lit the courtyard.

This time he wasn't looking at the storm.

He was looking directly at her window.

At her.

For one frozen moment, neither of them moved.

Then the darkness returned.

And when the next flash came, he was gone.

Elara sat motionless.

Her heart pounding harder than it should have.

She couldn't explain why.

She barely knew him.

Yet something about Damien Blackwood felt different.

Like a mystery waiting to be uncovered.

Like a warning she should listen to.

Or a mistake she was destined to make.

And for the first time since arriving at Blackthorne Academy, Elara had a feeling her life was about to change forever.

End of chapter one. 20 more chapters and about 22,796 words in the full book.