For A Leap Into The Darkness

*It was too calm to think about a storm that had never happened.*

**Carline**

Thunder rumbled ominously in the darkening sky, and I couldn’t help but stare out the window of my class. The landscape was a mix of lush greenery and foreboding shadows, the trees swaying as if they were whispering secrets. It felt like the calm before a storm—an unsettling calm, to be precise.

“...and that’s why the fall of empires is crucial to understanding our own society,” Professor Clark droned on, his voice a monotonous hum in the background. I tried to focus, but my mind was elsewhere, lost in the swirling clouds outside.

A few months had flown by since I first stepped through those grand, creaking doors if Shadowthorne, yet I still felt like a stranger in this place. Most of the subjects felt familiar, yet they had an unsettling twist, as if they were cloaked in mystery. As if they designed to leave you questioning for more. What was it about this academy that made everything feel just a little off?

I glanced back at Professor Clark, a tall man with wild hair and an enthusiasm that seemed out of place in our dimly lit classroom. He was gesturing animatedly about ancient civilizations, but all I could think about was the storm brewing outside, casting eerie shadows across the room.

“Carline!” His voice cut through my thoughts like a bolt of lightning. My cheeks flushed as I snapped my head up. “Care to share your thoughts on the significance of the fall of the Roman Empire?”

I blinked, scrambling to catch up. “Uh, it… it taught us about the importance of governance?” I stammered, my heart racing. A few classmates chuckled, and I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me.

As the laughter faded, I turned back to the window, my mind racing. What was it about this place that felt like a puzzle I couldn’t solve? The storm outside mirrored the turmoil inside me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was waiting just beyond the horizon—something that would change everything.

Just then, a flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and a shiver ran down my spine. It was a reminder that even in the calmest moments, chaos could be lurking just beneath the surface.

“Class dismissed!” Professor Clark announced, snapping me back to reality. I gathered my things, but as I stepped into the hallway, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this year at Shadowthorne was going to be anything but ordinary.

~Shadowthorne -Frost Hall [Gymnasium]

Dressed in a black swimsuit with my hair tied into a ponytail, I wore swimming goggles. The gymnasium, as usual, had ten students, making the coach the eleventh. I excitedly watched the sparkling yet still blue-like water in the pool. I couldn't wait to soak in the beauty of it. As soon as the coach blew his whistle, I briskly dove in.

I've never felt so alive in my life. As I dipped into the pool, the water kissed every inch of my skin, making me feel an abundant amount of relaxation and excitement from my nerves. Ahh… I can stay like this all day. The physical ed lessons last for 2 hours, and I know just how to spend them. It doesn't matter if I exceed a little. Amidst the enjoyment, a light shadow suddenly passed just above the water.

A strange huge silhouette blanketed the water, for a moment, it lost its sparkling blue lustre, turning into something eerily dark. My heart began to thud rapidly, and immediately I swam towards the bottom of the water in search of refuge. At that moment, a voice whispered my name.

"Carline, they're coming for you. Run! They're coming for -" Before I could decipher what was happening, everything turned black. But I was still curious about who was coming for me and why. One thing is for sure, it can't be good. "Carline! Carline! Wake up! They're coming for you... you should run! You should..." I lost my train of thought as I felt hands hold me deeper down in the pool.

I tried struggling out of their hold but I felt myself sink deeper with each pull. The arms around my body grew tighter and tighter until I couldn't even move a muscle.

"I'm gonna get you." A voice whispered and I felt my spirit break with each word.

I tried to turn around and all managed to get was a glimpse of ice blue eyes and then darkness.

~

I awoke with a jolt, palms clammy as my heart raced. What a nightmare!

"Ah, you are awake. Good. I need you to swallow these pills and then leave for class." Said a voice.

I turned my head as my senses were assaulted by bright light and a sharp smell. The man in front of me was draped in black and had a air of pristine white gloves. His gaze spoke volumes but his aura gave a me a shiver.

"Instead of staring at me and wasting my time, you had better swallow these pills."

A little cup with blue and red were shoved my way with a glass of water and stared on in disbelief. These were the ext same pills I used to swallow back home! I looked at the man with a question in my gaze but a glare from him was enough to silence them on my tongue. I hated the pills. They always made me feel woozy after swallowing them hence me not continuing with them once I joined school and now I have to swallow them.

A knock startled me out of my thoughts as I tried to lift the cup to my mouth and swallow the pills. With permission from who I was assuming to be the school nurse, someone entered and my breath got caught in my chest.

"You're finally awake?" came a masculine yet stern voice laced with light concern in it.

Craning my neck, I searched for the source of the voice; I froze as the elegant figure of a male stood before me. My mind never allowed me to describe a male as elegant, but this time I willingly accepted it. He simply looked too neat to be real, dressed in a white shirt along with a pair of well-ironed black trousers you'd think he'd pressed for centuries.

His hands were covered with white gloves like those butlers I'd read about in mediaeval-themed storybooks, and a pair of red eyes I could call rubies captured mine. I thought it was normal to have red eyes like mine... Yes, I have red eyes. However, this wasn't normal. His penetrating gaze made it impossible for me to tear my gaze away from him.

Gosh! At this point, this was ogling, not checking out. At the back of my mind lies the saying 'gazing is a bad habit,' but if this adonis was the sin, then I don't mind sinning The silence, which seemed to last forever, was interrupted by his light cough. He spoke a few words, which I didn't hear. All I witnessed was his red, thin yet sexy lips moving. "Ahem! How do you feel now?" his raspy voice entered my ears making my heart flutter. "Huh!" I absentmindedly responded.

"How are you feeling now?" he repeated. Removing my gaze from him, I replied, "I guess. I'm ok."

"That's good, then. You've been unconscious for six hours. What happened?" came his voice which was now gentle. Staring at the ceiling, I remained silent, contemplating whether to tell him or not. However, he seemed as though he read my mind, for his next answer rather sent a chill down my spine.

"You saw it, right? The shadow..." How did he know? Although I don't know what's happening, I knew this guy was dangerous. I quickly sat up on the bed and said, "I think I should go back." I barely had my feet touching the ground when a silhouette blocked me. "Not so fast, you still haven't told me about it? Otherwise, how would you explain your reaction?" he taunted. I raised my eyes to meet his and fired a question, "What do you mean explain my reaction?" Somehow, I found him annoying. Otherwise, why would a stranger be asking these questions? He gazed at me as if looking for any traces of lies.

"Look, I don't know you, nor do you know me. So asking me these kinds of questions is wasting my time," I retorted, and my voice raised a little. With that, I pushed his sexy, though I hated to admit it, figure away from my view and stood up to leave. I felt dizzy for standing up abruptly yet I stabilised myself quickly, feeling his intense gaze. 'He's strange,' I murmured to myself.

As we were engaged in a stare contest, a throat clearing had me shaking myself out of the revelry.

"If you're quiet done flirting, I suggest returning to your classes and leaving my infirmary." Said the nurse. I walked towards the door reached for the doorknob, a gust of wind brushed past me, and I felt warmth on my hand just a hair strand away from the door handle. The familiar, sweet scent wafted my nostrils. So all along, it was him oozing this scent. His voice broke my reverie. "They forgot to tell you, Welcome to Hell, Carline Valentine." ….