Alina.
The first sound I heard that morning was the slap of Kael's locker door against metal. My pulse tripped, half from the noise, half from the dread of being noticed. I kept my face turned to the wall, eyes squeezed shut, willing myself to be invisible for just a few more minutes.
No luck. Kael's boots thudded across the floor, stopping beside my bed. "Up, Elowen. Unless you want to be late for drills and give them a reason to kick you out."
His words landed like gravel, and I forced myself to sit up, keeping my voice even. "Five more minutes and you'd have the whole dorm to yourself. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
He bared his teeth but it was not a smile. "Don't flatter yourself. You snore."
A snort came from Rowan, who hadn't moved from his tangle of blankets. "The only thing louder than Adrian's snoring is your pre-dawn grunting, Kael. Some of us value our beauty sleep."
Lucien, already fully dressed and flipping through a worn textbook by the window, didn't bother to join in. He just said, "If Elowen's late again, he'll lose us points. I'm not interested in cleaning latrines because a human can't read a clock."
The word "human" hit like a slap. Kael tossed a rolled-up pair of socks into my chest. "Move it. If you drag us down again, you'll regret it."
I changed in silence, every movement stiff and wary. The air in the dorm felt thin, heavy with resentment that grew thicker every morning. I kept my head down and laced my boots with shaking fingers, counting each breath. I'd learned early that the less I spoke, the less I gave them to work with.
Kael led the way down the corridor, shoving past a pair of vampire students who looked like they might have started something if he wasn't flanked by Lucien's icy glare and Rowan's perpetual smirk. I trailed behind, an afterthought, ignored by everyone except the few who whispered as I passed.
"That's the human?" one voice hissed, low and mocking.
"Heard he's got some Duke's blood, but all I see is charity."
"Should've sent him back after that first week."
I stared at the worn stone under my feet, fighting the urge to run back and lock myself in the dorm. My heart hammered, but I kept my face blank. If I reacted, they'd sense weakness. And here, weakness was blood in the water.
The mess hall was already loud with shouts and laughter, but the noise thinned when we entered. Eyes followed us, no, followed me. Kael barely noticed; Lucien's gaze swept the room, calculating and cold. Rowan simply grinned, strolled to the nearest empty table, and propped his boots up like he owned the place.
Kael dropped his tray next to Rowan's with a clatter, then looked at me, daring me to sit. I slid onto the bench, careful to leave a space between us. Lucien sat opposite, his gaze never quite meeting mine. For a few seconds, we ate in silence.
Rowan broke it first. "So, what's today, Kael? More 'team-building' exercises?" He popped a grape into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Or are you planning to just beat on Elowen until he cries again?"
Kael's mouth twisted. "He won't cry. He's too stubborn for that." He flicked a glance at me, almost curious, then scoffed. "He'll just keep getting up. Makes him easy to break."
Lucien spoke without looking up from his book. "If he actually improved, maybe you'd stop wasting your energy."
Rowan stretched his arms overhead, yawning. "I don't know, Lucien. Watching you all try to murder each other is the only entertainment I get before sunrise."
Their bickering drew more glances from the other students, and the whispers grew louder. I tried to eat quickly, keeping my head down, but Kael wasn't about to let me vanish.
He leaned in, voice low. "You screw up drills again, Elowen, and I'm not covering for you. Not today."
I kept my eyes on my tray. "You never cover for me anyway."
Kael's lip curled. "Don't flatter yourself."
Lucien closed his book with a snap. "You'll want to eat faster. They changed the schedule, first session's outside. Wouldn't want you to trip on your way to the field."
Rowan rolled his eyes. "Maybe if you all stopped hovering, he'd make it on his own."
Kael bared his teeth. "I'm not hovering."
Rowan grinned at me. "Ignore him, Elowen. He only snarls at people he's threatened by."
Kael shot him a look sharp enough to draw blood. "Keep talking, Rowan. I dare you."
I finished my breakfast in silence, my appetite shriveled. By the time the bell rang, the others were already on their feet. I grabbed my bag, following a few steps behind.
The morning air outside was cold, stinging my cheeks and eyes awake. The field stretched out, rimmed with frost, pale sunlight filtering through clouds. The other first-years gathered in clumps, some warming up, others sizing each other up with open hostility. I caught sight of Mira at the edge of the fae group. She gave me a tiny nod, but quickly looked away. No one wanted to be seen helping the human.
Kael was already stretching, flexing his hands like he couldn't wait to hit something. Lucien stood off to one side, face unreadable, scanning the instructors for any sign of a new threat. Rowan found a patch of sun and lay down in the grass, eyes closed, looking entirely too relaxed for someone about to be forced through combat drills.
Instructor Bastian's voice cracked across the field. "Pair up! Don't waste my time."
Kael grabbed my arm before I could move. "You're with me. Try not to embarrass yourself."
I barely had time to nod before he shoved a practice staff into my hands and stepped back, rolling his shoulders. "Ready?"
No. But I had no choice. I braced myself, staff gripped tight, feet set. Kael didn't hold back. He swung, hard, and I blocked just in time. The shock vibrated up my arms, rattling my teeth.
"Slower," he growled, circling. "Keep your guard up."
I tried. He came at me again, staff whistling through the air. I parried, missed the next swing, and caught a blow to the side that made me grunt. The others barely glanced our way. Human getting pummeled? Normal.
Kael pressed his advantage, relentless. "You're weak. Too soft. You flinch before I even hit you."
I gritted my teeth and lunged, catching him off-guard for half a second. His eyes flashed, surprised, then angry. He swept my legs out, sending me crashing to the ground.
"Get up," he snarled.
I rolled over, fighting for breath, and pushed myself upright. Every muscle screamed, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me hesitate.
Again. And again. Each time I thought he might ease up, he only hit harder. By the end, I was bruised, panting, sweat trickling down my back even in the cold.
"Better," Kael muttered finally, tossing his staff aside. "But not good enough."
Lucien approached, arms crossed. "If you'd keep your chin tucked, you wouldn't get hit so often. You're telegraphing every move."
I wiped blood from my lip. "Thanks for the advice, coach."
He ignored the sarcasm. "Just don't drag us down."
Rowan wandered over, grinning. "Nice performance, Elowen. You planning to survive the semester?"
Kael rolled his eyes. "Not with that form."
"Or that face," Rowan added, lips twitching.
I shrugged, refusing to show how much the taunts stung. "I'm still here, aren't I?"
"Not sure for how long," Lucien murmured, barely loud enough to hear.
Instructor Bastian called us to line up. "Drills, now! Teams, move!"
The rest of the morning was a blur of commands, sweat, and the sting of cold air. Every time I faltered, Kael was there to bark at me, Rowan to laugh, Lucien to remind me with a glare that I was lucky just to be tolerated.
By the time drills ended, I could barely lift my arms. My legs ached, bruises blossoming under my sleeves. I stumbled off the field, keeping my head down, but not low enough to miss the sidelong glances and smirks from the other students.
Mira caught my eye near the water station. She hesitated, then passed me a canteen without a word. I took it, nodding once in thanks, and she melted back into her group before anyone could see.
Back in the locker room, the tension spiked again. Kael slammed his locker. "You cost us a point. Next time, try keeping up."
Lucien didn't speak, but the look he gave me was colder than the water in the showers. Rowan tossed his shirt into the hamper, shaking his head. "You could try growing claws, Elowen. Or fangs. Might improve your odds."
I changed quickly, wincing as I pulled my shirt over a fresh bruise. No one offered help. No one even looked my way except to glare or sneer.
Lunch was worse. The mess hall buzzed with rumors that a student from the upper years had gone missing. Some said she'd run off, others whispered about shadows in the crypts. I caught snatches of conversation as I walked past.
"Heard it was a blood debt. Old magic."
"Probably just got tired of the rules."
"I heard the human saw something. That's why he looks like death."
I kept moving, ignoring the way the room went quieter as I passed. Kael and Lucien were already seated, Rowan gesturing wildly with a fork as he told some outlandish story to a group of fae girls. Kael barely glanced up when I sat down.
Lucien spoke softly, just for me. "Keep your head down. You attract enough attention as it is."
Rowan leaned in, voice low. "Maybe if you stopped acting like prey, they'd leave you alone."
Kael snorted. "Or maybe they're just bored. There's nothing interesting about Elowen."
I chewed my food in silence, each bite feeling like glass.
After lunch, the afternoon passed in a haze of lectures and magical theory. I sat at the back, scribbling notes, doing my best not to fall asleep or draw any more attention. The instructors rarely called on me, except when they needed an example of what not to do. When I answered correctly, I earned only narrowed eyes and muttered insults.
The final class let out just before dusk. The sky outside had gone from silver to bruised purple, and the air was heavy with the scent of rain. I trudged back to the dorm, feet dragging, every part of me aching.
Inside, the others were already sprawled in their usual places; Kael sharpening a knife on his bed, Lucien by the window with a book, Rowan sprawled on the floor sorting through a pile of strange trinkets.
Kael glanced up as I entered. "Took you long enough. You're on cleaning duty tonight."
I bit back a retort and got to work; scrubbing the sink, sweeping the floor, folding stray clothes. Rowan watched with open amusement. "Missed a spot, Elowen."
I ignored him, finished the chores, and finally sank onto my mattress, exhausted. The room was quiet except for the scrape of Kael's blade and Lucien's steady page turns.
I stared at the ceiling, counting cracks, letting the hum of tiredness blur the edges of everything.
But sleep wouldn't come. My body was sore, my mind racing. I shifted, reaching under my pillow for comfort, and my fingers brushed something rough and foreign.
I sat up, heart pounding. There, half-hidden under the fabric, was a blue feather, glossy and strange, and beneath it, a symbol stitched into the pillowcase. Faint, almost invisible, but old, pulsing with the echo of magic.
I glanced at the others; Kael lost in thought, Lucien reading, Rowan humming tunelessly. None of them seemed to notice. None looked guilty.
Was it a warning? A threat? Or just another reminder that I didn't belong here, not really… not as Adrian, not as anything else.