Chapter 1: Delightfully Distressed

Staring out of the window, my eyes weigh heavy as the same trees that I've seen for the past eight hours zip idly by. The same orange and yellow leaves tainted by fall, still crisp as they flutter gracefully into the sea of fellow leaves laying beneath the trees. The same unfamiliar scents of the old car, with the same unfamiliar man driving through the unfamiliar county in an unfamiliar Cadillac.

"Ms. Sinclair, please buckle your seatbelt dear. It's going to be a tad bit bumpy from here on out."

Nodding to the man who's name I've long forgotten since he introduced himself at the beginning of this long and grueling car ride, the buckle gives a quiet click as I fasten it. And not a second too soon as the old car is sent rattling, barely giving me enough time to prepare myself as the seatbelt locks painfully against my collar bone.

Frantically grabbing for the handle fastened to the ceiling, I'm jolted against the door as the frame of the vehicle thrashes back and fourth on the uneven road.

The thought skips across my mind that the wheels are about to detach from the car, and almost as if for the sake to prove me wrong the violent rattling stops just as quickly as it began. The exhaustion that was previously pulling at my brain has been cleared by the adrenaline of being thrashed around, and as I open my eyes I find myself trying to blink the illusion away from my sight.

The caramel colored leaves from mere seconds ago have been replaced with lush, green spring trees. Still unfamiliar trees nonetheless, but not the same unfamiliar trees from the unfamiliar town that I was just in. The rough roads that were patched over one too many times from before are now a smooth, almost freshly paved looking driveway winding through an entrance that looks like it could be straight out of a children's bedtime book. There's fountains spewing suspiciously blue water, and every bush in sight is meticulously trimmed with fresh blooms on every branch.

Wondering if I was briefly knocked unconscious during the ride and that I'm only just dreaming, I eyeball the old man sitting with a serene smile plastered to his aged face.

He's a stranger to me, a stranger that I've never met at that. But it brings me some sort of solace that my parents trust... Trusted him. In their frustratingly short letter that was handed to me at their funeral, it stated that an old friend would be the chaperone to my new school in their place.

Sent spiraling back into the freshly raw memory from a few days ago, I have so many unanswered questions. Enough questions that my head has been aching since the funeral, as if all of my thoughts are on the verge of splitting my skull apart to escape.

But one of the biggest voices screaming in the back of my head right now... Is the one saying that they knew they were going to die.

They knew no one would be there to walk me through the doors on my first day at a new school.

They knew I would be alone after they were gone.

Entirely, absolutely, and utterly alone.

"Soleil dear, are you alright? I've been calling your name for quite some time now."

Blinking back to reality, I begin to mutter the beginnings of an apology before he quickly waves it away. "It's quite alright, I'm sure this is all quite the adjustment for you." Pausing as he presses a small button to pop the trunk, I feel the car shift as my luggage is lifted from the cramped space in the back of the Cadillac. "I just wanted to let you know that they're here to grab your luggage, is all. You shouldn't have to lug all of those bags up all of those stairs and to your room."

Sliding my gaze to the entrance leading up to the school, my mouth nearly falls agape as I set my eyes on it. The stairs leading up the grand entrance look nothing short of a marathon, leading to large glass doors that arch gracefully into the vanilla colored exterior.

There's more windows than I care to count, all of them perfectly shined and reflecting the cloudless sky above them.

This school is nothing short of a full blown castle, and I'm still trying to figure out how my parents could even begin to afford enrolling me here. Growing up we were never well off, but not quite worse off either. Enough to afford groceries but not to buy more than what we needed. But this monstrosity of a school...

"The Headmaster is waiting for you, my dear. I just know that you'll enjoy being here as much as your parents did."

Tensing as my chest tightens at the thought of them, I ask the old man "my parents went here?" Nodding with a kind smile, it's almost enough to make me feel as though I might not be quite as miserable here as I originally thought.

"Yes, my dear. And as much I would love to let you prepare yourself in here for as long as you may need, my wife has an appointment that I must be off to." Pursing my lips as I nod, I feel guilty for taking up so much of his time. "I'm sorry, sir. I should have been more courteous. Thank you driving me all this way."

Waving his hand to dismiss my apologies yet again, I'm still wondering what kind of connection he had with my parents to drive me all this way. If they were so close, why have I never met him?

"Ah, it seems they have your bags all together now. They sure did take their sweet time didn't they? Nothing like when I was attending!" Watching his old face crease as he rants, I wonder just how long ago that really was.

The ranting doesn't last very long as his features soften when he turns to look at me with faded grey eyes. I feel myself shrinking under the fondness in his gaze, not quite sure what to say to break the silence.

"It was a pleasure to finally meet you, little Lea. Though you're not quite so little anymore."

Biting back the stinging sensation burning in my nose at the mention of my parents expired nickname for me, I fight the urge to hug the stranger in front of me. Whether he was close to my parents or not, I can't bring myself to ask for such a thing and suffer the embarrassment of being told no.

But before the thought can even fully pass, he's gotten out of the car and pulled me close. The scent of his cologne wraps around me, and as he gently pats my head I feel the warm, wet liquid begin to leak down my face in the form of tears.

I've always hated crying, the sensation of it. The trouble stopping once you start, the ache in your chest as you heave. The way it makes you feel as if you might shatter if someone were to touch you.

"I... I feel your pain, my dear. I truly do. I understand that this place is strange and unfamiliar to you, but I believe your parents made the right choice in hiding it from you for so long."

Knowing that I couldn't hide the question behind my eyes even if I tried, I realize that he's wiping tears from not only my eyes but also his own.

"I believe that you will flourish here, once you adjust to the oddness of it all." Pausing, he awkwardly rubs the back of his wrinkly neck before adding, "I know we're mere strangers Soleil... But I'm always one phone call away if you need anything at all. I'll be here in an instant".

Smiling for the first time in days, a real, genuine smile and not the one offered to acquaintances when giving me their condolences, I say "I will. I promise I will".

Giving a satisfied smile at my response, something turns in my stomach as I realize that once he leaves I'll be alone again. Turning his back on me before he disappears into the small car, I frantically tap on the window once I realize that I haven't properly thanked him.

Rolling down the thin sheet of glass, I fight back the unevenness in my voice as I say "thank you. Thank you for doing this".

Smiling that genuine smile of his as he nods, the car engine grumbles back to life. "Anytime, my dear." Taking a steadying breath as the window begins to roll back up, I look back at the two men who are waiting with my things. With the old man gone, they don't hesitate to start walking towards the entrance without me.

Running to the stairs to catch up with them, they're just as breath-wrenching as I thought they would be. Having to stop halfway to catch my breath, the guards share an annoyed glance as they have to stop to wait for me. Looking down to check their watches, I try to gulp down a few more quick breaths of air before they start walking again. As to how the two men are taking several steps at a time, while carrying all of my heavy luggage, while I'm struggling with simply my own body weight is beyond me. They're obviously in great shape, while the last time I can actually remember working out was a year ago with my ex-boyfriend. The relationship barely lasted a month, but within that time frame he practically lived at the gym. Which meant I lived at the gym, which also meant that I ate all of the unseasoned chicken and mystery milkshakes that he would make for dinner.

And based off of the intense burning in my thighs and calves, I'm going to have to start doing something again if I want to be able to make it up and down these steps everyday.

But it's so many steps. By the time we get to the top I feel my pulse pounding in my temples and my lungs aching as they try to breath in enough air. Meanwhile the men holding my things are yet again in perfect shape, staring in confusion at my pitiful display of hyperventilation. Still trying to catch my breath as they hand me a slip of paper, it has a messily written dorm number on one side and the name of which building on the other.

Still trying to read through the scribbled writing, the two men take off through the entrance of the school. Once again not waiting for me to catch up, I hurriedly walk behind their long strides through the large arching doorway. The inside of the school is just as pristine as it is on the out. The white marble floors are polished impeccably, reflecting a distorted image of the intricate light fixtures hanging above them.

Even though it's a Saturday, the school is uncomfortably quiet with not a single student to be seen. The clack of our shoes echo emptily around the large room until the sound of their footsteps verge off in a different direction, leaving me alone in front of yet another set of large glass doors.

The women inside looks to hardly be a day past thirty, her elegant blond curls cascading down over her shoulders and onto her crowded desk. Glancing up from the large stack of papers that she's currently leaned over, she quickly slides out from behind the intricately carved desk.

"Please come in darling! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." Opening one of the clear doors for me come in, the room smells strongly of spiced wildflowers and something else that I can't quite put my finger on. The woman towers me as I walk past, quickly moving to pull out a chair for me before she takes her seat across from mine.

"You must be Soleil. I must say you look like a spitting image of your parents."

Scooting my seat in closer, I squeeze the sheet of paper that the two men gave me uncomfortably in my hand. My parents never had any friends, not even acquaintances, yet I've just met two people from this strange school who know exactly who they are.

"I always admired your mothers honey brown eyes, and your fathers golden hair of course. It seems they passed on those beautiful traits to you, my dear. Now, lets discuss why we're here, shall we?"

Instinctively reaching for my hair, I feel as if I'm going to be sick. I manage a curt nod, and with that she's sliding an old photograph towards the end of the desk. Peering down at it, it's a picture of my parents and three other teenagers. One of them looks to be a younger version of the woman sitting in front of me, the other a much more lively looking person than the old man who drove me here, and the other I don't recognize in the slightest.

"I'll get to the point, love. We all attended this school together, the five of us." Pointing to the picture of herself, she says "this is me". Moving over to the older man, she continues with "and this is Benny. Although I'm sure he looked quite different when you met him earlier today". Space-ily nodding, she points to the stranger who's dark brown hair and sapphire eyes I don't recognize. "This was Delilah, and next to her are your parents".

Vaguely noting the past tense of was, she continues chugging along through the unfamiliar story of my parents younger years.

"I imagine you have a lot of questions right now, all of which I'm hoping I can offer you the answer to. You have been enrolled into this school because you are not normal, and neither were your parents. None of us are in this dimension."

Sending all of my wandering thoughts to a screeching halt, I look up at her unnaturally colored golden eyes as my stomach jerks.

"Dimension?"

Nodding, she continues on to say "you are a magical being, darling. As are we all. I have the power of a protector, hence why I was entrusted to become the headmaster of this school. Benny has the power of a third eye. He can read minds, access memories, and feel emotions among many other things. However he can only do so at the cost of it aging his physical appearance by two years".

The old man... He knew I wanted a hug without me having to say it. He felt the pain of my memories... Even cried the same tears that I did.

"Delilah was a water spirit of death, a kelpie. Your mother was a fire fae, and your father was part dragon. That being said, I haven't the faintest idea of what you may be. Did I explain all of that clearly enough, love?... Oh! Of course, the reason you're here. Your parents made a pact with me that should anything ever happen to them, I would keep you safely tucked away and teach you how to use your abilities. And now that you're finally here; Welcome to Kremont Academy, Soleil."

Swallowing hard at her excited smile, I'm up and out of my seat reaching for the trash can before I violently empty the entirety of my stomach contents into it.