A month had passed since my arrival at Oakhaven Academy.
By now, I had learned the rhythms of the place—the quiet rules no one spoke of, the glances that lingered too long, the subtle ways people reminded you where you belonged. Or rather… where you didn't.
I had not found my place.
But I had found Claudia.
Claudia was… impossible to ignore. Loud, curious, endlessly talkative—like a spark in a place that thrived on restraint. The very first day I entered my room, she had filled the silence with everything there was to know about Oakhaven, sparing no detail. Truthfully, she was far more useful than the official guide assigned to me.
And far more dangerous.
She had an obsession—no, a fascination—with the supernatural.
At first, I thought it childish.
Now… I wasn't so sure.
Morning arrived with its usual stiffness.
Since women had only recently begun gaining admission into institutions like Oakhaven, our education differed sharply from that of the male students. While they studied power, influence, and legacy—we were taught restraint.
History. Etiquette. Manners.
How to sit. How to speak. How to exist… without ever truly taking up space.
I often wondered how my mother had managed to place me here at all.
Standing before my dresser, I reached for the only thing that truly belonged to this world.
The dress.
My dress.
The one my mother had given me.
The only one that met their standards.
The others… fell short.
I stared at it for a moment longer than necessary.
"Here we go," I murmured, lifting it.
"What are you doing?" Claudia's voice cut in.
"Dressing up."
"That again?" she scoffed, sitting up. "Harriet, you've worn that so many times it's practically announcing your arrival before you even speak. Yes, it's beautiful—but even beauty fades when overused."
I hesitated.
"What choice do I have?" I asked quietly. "The last time I wore my other clothes… they cost around forty shillings."
There was a pause.
Then laughter.
Sharp. Unfiltered.
"Forty?" Claudia repeated between breaths. "Harriet… that's what my maid wears."
The words landed harder than she intended.
I masked it.
"Then I suppose your clothes must come with magical abilities," I said dryly, reaching again for my dress.
Her laughter died instantly.
"Oh—no, no, I didn't mean it like that," she said quickly, standing. "Wait—here."
Before I could protest, she began pulling clothes from her wardrobe—fine fabrics, delicate stitching, pieces that whispered wealth without needing to shout.
"Try this," she insisted. "It'll suit you perfectly."
"Claudia—this isn't necessary."
"It is to me."
She pressed the garments into my hands, her expression unusually earnest.
"I have more than I need. You… deserve options."
I studied her for a moment.
Then sighed.
"…Fine. I'll try one."
Her face lit up instantly.
"Yes!"
I raised a brow.
"I feel like I should be the one reacting like that."
"Language," she teased, pulling me into a brief hug.
By the time we stepped into the hallway, I barely recognized myself.
The dress fit as though it had been made for me.
And for the first time since arriving at Oakhaven…
People noticed.
Not with dismissal.
But with curiosity.
"See?" Claudia whispered smugly beside me. "Now they won't call you that name anymore."
I stopped.
"What name?"
She froze.
"…That wasn't meant to slip out."
"Claudia."
She groaned softly.
"…They've been calling you something. It's nothing serious—just… students being students."
"Say it."
"…Slum princess."
The words hung in the air.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then I exhaled softly.
"…A princess, you say?" I said lightly. "That's generous of them."
"Harriet, that's not—"
"I heard you."
I turned away.
"It doesn't matter."
And perhaps… that was the most unsettling part.
It didn't.
"Dinner's soon. I need to go."
I took a step—then paused as she spoke again.
"Wait—can I come with you? To your… group?"
I didn't turn.
"You mean you want to interrogate them about being supernatural again?"
"I said I wouldn't do that!"
"You said that last time."
Silence.
"…I'll try," I said finally. "No promises."
The dining hall was alive with quiet order.
Voices filled the space—but never too loudly. Movement flowed—but never without purpose.
Everything here had control.
Everything except the people.
I spotted them easily.
Kirstein. Arabella. Thomas. Lex.
And Alistair.
As I approached, it was Alistair who noticed me first. His golden gaze lifted, and a faint smile touched his lips as he pulled out a chair.
"Thank you," I said softly.
Kirstein was already mid-complaint.
"These etiquette lessons are suffocating," she said. "They don't teach us how to live—they tell us how to exist."
"I nearly strangled Mistress Isabella," Arabella added coolly. "She corrected how I held my fork."
"You were holding it like a weapon," I said before I could stop myself.
Laughter erupted.
Even I smiled.
Arabella's gaze snapped to me—sharp, dangerous—and for a split second, I felt something cold crawl beneath my skin.
Then it vanished.
"…Careful," she murmured.
"I might actually stab someone next time."
"Start with Thomas," I added.
"Hey—!"
The tension broke again.
But not completely.
Something lingered beneath it.
Something… watching.
Food arrived.
And I forgot everything.
Hunger overruled etiquette. I ate without restraint.
"Someone's abandoning her training," Lex noted.
"I'm starving," I replied simply.
Then—
Noise.
Sharp. Disruptive.
Out of place.
A group approached our table, their energy cutting through the hall like a blade.
"The Gregory brothers," Arabella muttered.
"Alistair!"
No response.
"Don't ignore me!"
Still nothing.
Until—
Alistair stood.
And the air… shifted.
It wasn't visible.
But it was felt.
Like pressure before a storm.
"Do you truly believe," he said quietly, "that you would still be standing here if my brother were present?"
The arrogance in the Gregory brothers' posture faltered.
Fear replaced it.
"Take your grievance to him," Alistair continued. "If you possess the courage."
Silence.
Then retreat.
"We won't forget this."
They left.
But the tension did not.
Later, as conversation resumed, Arabella spoke again.
"A boy was found dead in the woods yesterday."
Kirstein nodded. "They're calling it a wolf attack."
"Let the authorities handle it," Alistair said calmly.
Then—
His gaze shifted.
To me.
"Harriet," he said, voice quiet. "Your friend… is watching us."
I turned.
And there she was.
Claudia.
Watching.
Not casually.
Not curiously.
But intently.
Like she was studying something she wasn't meant to understand.
I stood immediately.
"I'll be back."
"You need to stop," I said the moment I reached her.
"I wasn't spying—"
"You were staring."
"I just—"
"Do whatever you want," I cut in, my patience gone.
Then I walked away.
************ (POV SHIFT)
They watched her leave.
Silence settled over the table.
"That girl," Thomas muttered, "gives me the creeps."
"Leave it," Arabella said. "The Ashburns arrive tonight."
"I'll arrange transport," Lex added.
Then—
He turned to Alistair.
"You said you had something to tell us."
Alistair didn't answer immediately.
When he did, his voice was lower.
Measured.
"It's about Harriet."
That was enough to command their full attention.
"We know nothing about her," he continued. "Her background is… incomplete."
A pause.
"But that is not the concern."
His gaze darkened slightly.
"Her scent is… wrong."
No one spoke.
"And when I attempt to see beyond the surface—"
Another pause.
Longer this time.
"There is nothing."
The words fell heavily.
"A void," he finished quietly. "A complete absence."
Something shifted between them.
Not fear.
Not yet.
But awareness.
"Whatever she is…"
Alistair's voice dropped just enough to make it feel like a warning.
"She is not human."