Windsor's POV
The address on my acceptance letter led me to a building that looked like it had seen better decades. Hades Dorm stood at the far edge of campus, its brick facade stained with years of neglect. Paint peeled from the window frames, and several of the outdoor lights flickered weakly against the morning sky.
This was supposed to be part of the prestigious Apex Vanguard Academy?
I pushed through the heavy front door, which groaned on rusty hinges. The lobby was small and cramped, with mismatched furniture that had clearly been donated rather than purchased. A few students lounged on worn couches, their conversations dying as I entered.
Their eyes followed me as I approached the reception desk, where a girl with purple hair was painting her toenails a shocking shade of pink.
"Excuse me," I said. "I'm looking for my room assignment?"
She didn't look up. "Name."
"Windsor Wade."
Now she glanced at me, her expression bored and slightly annoyed. "You're interrupting my pedicure."
I blinked. "I'm sorry, but I just arrived and I need to find my room."
"Briana," she said, as if that explained everything. When I continued to stare at her blankly, she sighed dramatically. "I'm Briana. Dorm leader. Unfortunately."
She reached for a clipboard without putting down her nail polish brush, somehow managing to flip through pages with one hand. "Wade, Wade... yeah, here you are. Top floor, room at the end of the hall. Elevator's broken, has been for months. Stairs are over there."
She pointed vaguely toward a door marked with a barely legible "STAIRS" sign.
"Is there anything else I should know about the dorm?" I asked.
Briana had already returned to her toenails. "Don't break anything expensive. We can't afford to replace it."
Clearly, I was on my own.
I hefted my duffel bag and headed for the stairwell. The stairs were narrow and poorly lit, with several steps creaking ominously under my weight. By the time I reached the top floor, I was breathing hard and questioning every life choice that had led me here.
The hallway was chaos. Students moved in and out of rooms, carrying boxes and shouting to friends. Music blared from multiple sources, creating a cacophony that made my head throb. I squeezed past a group of guys hauling what looked like a small refrigerator, nearly getting knocked down for the second time today.
My room was at the very end of the hall, tucked away in a corner that probably saw very little natural light. I fumbled with the key Briana had handed me, finally managing to get the door open.
The room was small. Smaller than I'd expected, with two narrow beds, two desks, and barely enough floor space to walk between them. One side was already occupied, personal belongings scattered across the bed and desk in organized chaos.
I was still taking in my new home when the door burst open behind me.
"Oh!" a voice exclaimed. "You must be my new roommate!"
I spun around to find myself face-to-face with one of the most striking women I'd ever seen. She had light brown skin and wavy hair that fell just past her shoulders, with eyes that sparkled with genuine warmth. Unlike everyone else I'd encountered today, she looked genuinely happy to see me.
"I'm Pauline," she said, crossing the small space in two steps to grab my hands. "Pauline Luna. And you're Windsor, right? I saw your name on the housing list."
"Yes," I managed, still processing her enthusiasm. "Windsor Wade."
"It's so wonderful to meet you!" Pauline squeezed my hands before releasing them. "I was worried they'd stick me with someone awful. You know how roommate assignments can be."
I didn't, actually, but I nodded anyway.
"Are you settling in okay? I know Hades isn't exactly the lap of luxury, but it's not as bad as it looks. Well, it's mostly not as bad as it looks."
Before I could respond, a loud siren began wailing across campus. The sound was sharp and commanding, cutting through the noise in the hallway and making several students stop their conversations.
Pauline's expression immediately shifted from friendly to urgent. "Oh no, we need to go. Right now."
"Go where?"
"General assembly. When that siren sounds, attendance is mandatory. And I mean mandatory." She was already moving toward the door, grabbing a light jacket from her bed. "They take names and everything. Missing it can seriously impact your standing."
I dropped my bag and followed her out of the room. The hallway was already emptying as students hurried toward the stairs, their earlier leisurely pace replaced by obvious concern.
"Standing?" I asked as we joined the crowd heading downstairs.
"Your overall ranking at the academy," Pauline explained, taking the steps two at a time. "Everything here is about your standing. Your grades, your social connections, your faction allegiance. It all gets calculated together."
We burst out of the dorm and into the afternoon air. Students were streaming across campus from all directions, converging on a large building in the center of the grounds. The Great Hall, I assumed, based on its imposing architecture and the massive doors that stood open to accommodate the flood of people.
"Pauline," I said as we hurried along with the crowd, "what exactly is a faction?"
She turned to stare at me, her eyes wide with surprise. "You don't know about the factions?"
"Should I?"
"Windsor." She grabbed my arm, pulling me aside as we reached the entrance to the Great Hall. "Please tell me you're joking."
"I'm not joking. I don't know what factions are."
Pauline looked around nervously, then leaned closer to me. "The academy is divided into four factions. North, South, East, and West. Each faction is led by an Alpha, and everyone here has to choose which faction to join."
"Has to?"
"It's not optional. Your faction determines your social status, your living arrangements, your protection, and your connections after graduation. Choosing the right faction can make or break your entire future."
My stomach dropped. This was the first I was hearing of any of this. "What happens if you don't choose?"
"You can't not choose. If you wait too long, you'll be assigned to one anyway."
We'd reached the entrance to the Great Hall, and the crowd was pushing us forward. I caught a glimpse of the interior and felt my breath catch. The space was enormous, with soaring ceilings and enough seating for what looked like thousands of students. Banners hung from the walls, each depicting different symbols in rich colors.
"Pauline, I don't understand any of this," I whispered as we found seats near the back of the hall.
"It's okay," she whispered back, but I could hear the concern in her voice. "I'll explain everything later. But right now, you need to understand that the Alphas are the most important people in this school. They control everything."
I scanned the crowd, looking for familiar faces I wanted to avoid. Near the front, I spotted Miguel's distinctive dark hair. He was sitting with a group of other students, laughing at something one of them had said. My chest tightened with familiar resentment.
A few rows behind him, I caught sight of Evelyn's profile. Even from this distance, I could see she was animated, gesturing wildly as she spoke to the girls around her. My former best friend looked perfectly at home in this world of privilege and politics.
I looked away quickly, focusing instead on the stage at the front of the hall. Several chairs had been arranged there, currently empty but clearly waiting for important occupants.
"The faction Alphas will be introduced in a few minutes," Pauline murmured next to me. "You need to pay attention to this part, Windsor. These are the four most powerful students at Apex, and one of them could become your protector and connection to everything that matters here."
"Protector?"
"Joining a faction means putting yourself under the protection of that faction's Alpha. It's about safety, influence, and opportunities. Choose wisely, because this decision will define your entire experience at Apex."
The lights in the hall began to dim, and conversations died down to expectant whispers. My heart was racing as the reality of my situation hit me. I'd walked into this school completely unprepared, ignorant of the most basic rules that governed student life.
"Pauline," I whispered urgently, "I don't know anything about these Alphas. How am I supposed to choose?"
"You'll figure it out," she whispered back, but her voice was tense. "You have to."
A spotlight illuminated the stage, and a man in an expensive suit walked to the podium. His voice boomed across the hall as he began speaking.
"Welcome, students, to another year at Apex Vanguard Academy. It is time to introduce this year's faction leaders."
My palms were sweating as four figures began walking onto the stage from the wings. These were the Alphas. The four people who would shape the social and political landscape of my new world.
And I had absolutely no idea which one might be willing to protect someone like me.