Barbie Mullen does not agree with me that this is the worst thing to befall me. I stare at her peachy face while she speaks , sunlight framing her gold blonde hair.
"Stop thinking of it as a death sentence" She says in her honeyed voice "Think of it as an opportunity to explore another world and at the same time polish your ability. You are a Dark Magian, Night. Without suitable guidance, you could abuse your gift and become a full fledged witch. "
"There are much more than a dozen eligible teachers in the Thorn House " I mutter . I do not like to yell at Barbie . I do not want to snap at her. But why on earth is she enthusiastic about this instead of scared. I mean the white Colony is swimming with Supernaturals. My skin crawled at the very dreadful thought.
"Yes, but the Academy is internationally renowned and the Thorn House cannot compare." She shrugs listlessly.
"Guys, so I did a research on The White Colony " The grating perky voice of Norma Jean awakened me to the fact that she was sitting beside us and had been quietly scrolling through her phone .
"And?" Barbie asked while I lie flat on my back and count the ceiling. The three of us were crunched in my bedroom and for once I had opened the curtains and the windows to let in sunlight. The room was warm and comfy. My mind was a cold wall of stone.
"It is made up of four towns." She exhaled brightly.
"Yes. Didn't you read about that in your history books in middle school?" I snort "Everyone knows that both Colonies each have four towns. "
"Duh. Missis Smart assy " She rolled her eyes "Tish. Bogart. Fern. Hound Town. "
"I heard Tishian Vamps are cute" Barbie Mullen exclaims with a sigh and I glare at her in shock.
Norma Jean was all ears . She leaned closer to Barbie "Really?. How did you know?"
"I have a friend on Skype who's in the Academy. She shows me snaps of her male classmates. Her favorite is a Tishian Vamp named Alex Camper." Barbie brought out her phone and Norma Jean's eyes practically floated out of her face unto the screen.
The enormity of Barbie's words sunk into my brain. I sat up.
"Barbie, you have a friend from the White Colony?" I say with deep incredulity.
"Duh. Welcome to the world of social media " Norma Jean smirks "It connects people from all around the world. The white Colony not excluded."
"So your friend, is she a vamp or werewolf " I asked, ignoring Norma Jean who was practically drooling to something Barbie was showing her on her phone screen.
My question hung in the air while Barbie and Norma Jean stayed glued to the phone . Pissed, I snatched the phone from their hands and my heart stopped for a bit.
I was staring at the photo of a guy in tennis shorts and shirt about to swing the bat in a tennis court. His eyes were the color of sunlight, warm and soothing. But his skin was frightfully pale. Nonetheless the brightness of the rest of his features put this paleness to shame. His hair was the gold dust of sunlight, blonde and very much striking. He had the fluidity of a dancer and he was tall and impressive. Simply put, I was staring at the male version of Perfection. I swallowed.
"Who is this?" I asked flatly, suddenly annoyed with myself for no justifiable reason. And suddenly hating the guy in the photo simply for looking so flawless.
"Alex Camper. " Barbie says , and then adds "Vampyre".
"Blood sucker" I hand over the phone with an exaggerated look of disgust.
"I would want him to bite me" Norma Jean says quietly.
"You think Alex is hot?" Barbie laughs at Norma Jean. "Wait, till you see Moon Sol."
"Wait... there's someone hotter than that?" My sister's eyes widened .
Barbie nodded solemnly while going through her phone.
"So, this Moon Sol is also a Vampyre?" I wondered loudly, curiosity dragging me closer to Barbie.
"Korra says Moon Sol is a famous boy rockband. The Academy's A list celebrities and in general the darlings of The White Colony. " Barbie says "They are three werewolves from three different towns. Kinda came together to form a music pack last year. Their first song was a blast. They been hitting it steady on the glamour waves since then".
Norma Jean was literally squeaking with delight. "Can I see?".
Barbie Mullen passed the phone to Norma Jean and I watched my sister's eyes open simultaneously with her mouth. Curiosity propelled me to sneak a peak over Norma Jean's shoulders. My eyes nearly popped out of my sockets.
There were three boys there all right, posing for what looked like a publicity photo. Although they were wearing just ordinary joggers and cozy shirts, their extra ordinary good looks was enough to halt your breath. One was them was as athletic like Alex Camper. But he wasn't tall and his skin was deep brown instead of pale. The other was the most handsome amongst the trio. His jet black hair was curly and his face had the sheer Majesty of an angel. He was taller than Camper and much more stunning. I stared at his chest, at his abs, at the powerful neck and my feet shuddered. But there was something about the third that completely took the focus away from his two peers. He was the least handsome amongst them and appeared the most nondescript. He looked well... ordinary. A good enough height. A slim , gangly figure. Black hair. A sun_tanned complexion. But his eyes. They were completely frozen over. Where other people had either black or brown or blue or green eyes, this one looked exactly like ice. And his face had that haughty grating arrogance that made you dislike him instantly. Something sat at the pit of my stomach. Disgust most likely.
"Who's the one with the icy glare?" I asked .
"Are those eyes real or is that some sort of makeup probably" Norma Jean says sheepishly "For the photoshoot maybe."
"Korra says that's how his eyes are" Barbie shrugs " And believe me, he is a total jerk. Everyone hates him. Too dangerously arrogant"
I rolled my eyes, already hating him too .
"Ah, poor boy" Norma Jean says emphatically "He must be feeling lonely despite the fame".
"Don't waste your pity on a werewolf" I scolded her "He probably deserves the shit he's getting."
That night, I thought maybe this wasn't a bad idea after all . I dreamt of Alex Camper's fangs on my neck. I woke up sweating profusely.
_____________________________________________
My mother had packed enough for a lifelong exile even if I would only be gone for a year. My room seemed stripped naked by the time she was done packing. I could count a total of twelve large boxes. It seemed she wanted to erase my existence totally from her house. Jose Ann's assistant had come to get us with a red Chevy. He was a bald young man with a kind smile and few words who noted my mother's extravagance with only a mild shake of the head.
Norma Jean had braided my hair into nice, neat plaits and had chatted my ears off about Moon Sol and how I should say hi to the irky arrogant one who she was feeling pity for. She had even gone as far as baking a hello cake for him. I devoured the cake immediately the car started and I was finally on my own. It tasted like cherry, too sweet to waste on a silly pompous non human.
We were heading to the train station where I would join the other three chosen students alongside the Deputy Governor, Allen Hawkins and four public speakers of the Government House.
Barbie Mullen had given me a gold bracelet engraved with my name. I fingered it tenderly while we rode on , my eyes misting . My earlier feelings of dread returned and I suddenly felt cold even if I was wrapt in an expensive fur coat.
My mother had done her best in showcasing her usual Leticia pompoudaor for my send off. I had had my nails filed and manicured, my brows carved, several skin lotions safely stacked in my bags.
I had expected publicity but not the type that greeted me at the train station. Several cameras flickered in my direction the moment I got down from the car. Reporters hovered at every angle. Yes I had long ago dreamed of popularity but not as a lab rat in an experiment of fraternity between two worlds that ought not to mix. I hid my disgust beneath a frown. From the corner of my eyes I spotted the round bellied, genial figure of Allen Hawkins, the deputy Governor of the Black Colony. He was talking earnestly with a heavily bearded tall man in an expensive tuxedo.
The first microphone was thrust close to my mouth by a daring reporter.
"This is the fourth one" He announced to the crowd and the cameras "The darling of Ogef. Night Carter, what do you think about all this?"
I wanted to say this is the beginning of our doom. I wanted to say we are marching to our deaths. I wanted to say this is a doomed affair. The black Colony has been existing peacefully for centuries and perhaps segregation is best for all. What if the White Colony were waiting patiently to snuff out our puny lives the moment we landed there. Whoever had advised our Governor did not surely have our best interests at heart.
But the moment I opened my mouth, a hand landed warmly on my shoulders and squeezed gently. The words died in my throat, unuttered. The cameras flicked to the intruder and so did my eyes.
"Another time, guys. " Broad shoulders shrugged "The train is about to move."
Tongue tied, I let myself be piloted to the open train by broad, arms while the chauffeur brought in my luggages. I slumped into a seat and stared back into dark brown eyes.
The boy in front of me seemed my age and had all the vigor of youth. His shoulders were broad and his hair was brown and had been grown shoulder length. There was a small scar across the corners of his mouth and when he smiled his cheeks deepened into dimples.
"Thanks for saving me from the paparazzi. I definitely would have made a fool out of my self spewing rubbish" I confessed .
"Any time" He shrugged and extended his hands "Hari Spence. From Rudwan."
"Night Carter" I cringed , thinking about adding the Persephone and then discarding the idea "From Ogef."
"Come meet the rest of the lab rats " He chuckled.
"You call them that too?" I laughed mirthlessly.
"But that is what we all are" He said solemnly while a shadow creased his face.
"Sadly " I agreed "Who's the mustached man with Allen?"
"Oh that's the Principal of The Academy. Ethan Scavenger. "
"Is he human?"
Hari stared at me with incredulity "We will figure that out soon."
I was introduced to Peach Thubman, from Moria. She had pink hair and large foxy eyes and was chewing her bubblegum noisily while glaring at us for interrupting her Tiktok Live.
Then there was Cassidy Cox, from Ajit . A short, wiry brunette who was tearfully promising fidelity to her hometown boyfriend in a very emotional video call.
Hari and I settled back in our seats in silence. I watched him light up a cigarette.
"Put out that cigar, young man", A boomerang voice addressed itself to Hari. "No smoking. Christ, y'all can barely wipe your asses very well and yet you smoke."
It was the mustached man in a tuxedo. Ethan Scavenger. Principal of The Academy.
Hari cursed beneath his breath and hesitantly stubbed out the cigarette.
The train jolted into life and soon we were on our way, four people from four different towns exiled to a place whose name alone brought a sickening dread. The White Colony.