“It must be some kind of optical illusion,” Alex muttered to herself. She glanced behind her and took in the sterile walls of the corridor before she turned to face the forest again. She couldn’t wrap her head around the different scenery, but something about the dense woodland captivated her attention.
I’ll just have a quick look around, she thought. No one will know. Then I can come back and meet the headmaster.
Decision made, Alex quickly stepped through the doorway before she could change her mind. She expected to hear the crunching noise of dried leaves under her feet, but instead the ground disappeared and suddenly, impossibly, she was catapulted through the air. The wind rushed past her, whooshing by her ears as she flew along at what felt like the speed of light.
Just when she thought she might throw up, everything stopped.
Alex’s heart thumped wildly in her chest. She lay spread-eagled on the ground but had no idea how she’d landed. Her eyes were shut tight, but she could feel the leafy forest floor underneath her; she could smell the woody scent of pine cones in the air; and she could hear noises—branches creaking, birds singing, wind whistling through the trees.
Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and looked around, finding herself lying in the middle of the forest clearing she’d seen through the doorway. But the doorway itself—and the administration building—was nowhere in sight.
The good news was that her airborne journey had somehow dried out her sodden clothes and hair. She wasn’t even damp anymore. The bad news was that she had no idea where she was or how she was supposed to get back.
Alex sighed and threw her arms out to the sides, sending leaves scattering. “This new school sucks.”
Two
“That was quite the entrance.”
Alex jumped to her feet, but she had to wait for the resulting dizziness to pass before she was able to look up and find the owner of the unexpected voice.
“Hello,” he said when he had her attention, a slight smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
Alex had to blink a few times before she could fully appreciate the picture in front of her. He was, without a doubt, the most staggeringly attractive man she had ever laid eyes on. Almost unnaturally so. She guessed him to be in his late twenties or early thirties, and he had honey-coloured hair and bronze skin. He wore black from head to toe, the material finer than anything Alex had ever seen before. The tailored long-sleeved shirt was open at the collar and tapered by a belt at his waist, meeting a pair of leather-like trousers. The contrast between his tanned skin and dark clothing was breathtaking. But more than anything else, it was his strange golden-coloured eyes that captivated her attention and clouded her mind.
“Forgive me for startling you,” he said formally, gesturing towards himself. “My name is Aven.”
“Aven?” she repeated, sounding as dazed as she felt. Seriously, he was practically inhuman with his Greek god-like beauty. It wasn’t her fault she was distracted. “That’s an interesting name.”
“Yes,” he agreed, his tone pensive. “I suppose it is.”
He looked at her like he was waiting for something.
Oh. Right.
“I’m Alex,” she said. “Alexandra Jennings, really, but most people just call me Alex.”
Aven moved his hand towards her and she tentatively reached her arm forward, expecting a firm shake, but he surprised her by bowing slightly and pressing a tender kiss to the back of her wrist.
“Charmed,” he said, his eyes smouldering.
That’s right, smouldering. It was something she’d only ever read about in books before, not actually witnessed. Alex was surprised when her legs managed to keep her upright. She desperately hoped he wouldn’t notice her blushing. Or swooning.
Alex pulled her hand back and tried to clear her foggy brain. She couldn’t figure out why she was so affected by his presence, even if he was on a whole new level of gorgeous.
It was only the observation that he seemed to know exactly how he was affecting her that allowed Alex to regain some of her composure. She moved a step away from him, hoping the distance would help. His brow furrowed slightly at her less than discreet movement, but his expression cleared quickly.
“Any chance you can explain what just happened to me?” she asked.
He raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Well…” Alex gestured to the forest around them. “I just walked through a doorway in the middle of the administration building and then, uh, kind of flew here. Where is ‘here’, by the way?”
Aven was looking at her with a curiosity that bordered on incredulity. “You walked through a doorway and ended up somewhere completely different?”
She shrugged. “I know it sounds mental, but it’s the truth.”
After a lengthy silence where he stared intently at her, Aven said, “That is… most interesting. Tell me, Alexandra, where do you think we are?”
She had to hold back a shiver at the sound of her name falling so gracefully from his lips. Clearing her throat, she looked around the forest again. “Honestly? I have no idea. I can’t even see the academy from here. Which is, you know, weird.”
A slow smile began to stretch across Aven’s face, transforming him from beautiful to radiant. But even as Alex struggled to maintain her slipping composure, she felt like there was something not quite right about him. Sure, he oozed charisma and charm, but it almost seemed… tainted.
She shook her head and focused on the leaves under her feet rather than his appearance, trying to clear her mind. “Look, I guess it doesn’t really matter where we are. But I need to get back to the academy and enrol, so do you mind pointing me in the right direction?”
Aven didn’t answer. Instead, he slowly moved forward and began to circle her like a lion tracking its prey.
Alex couldn’t help but think of all the horror stories she’d heard about psychopaths dragging young women into forests to murder them. There was something decidedly dangerous about this Aven guy, of that she was certain.
“Tell me, Alexandra,” he said, completing his circle and returning to face her, “do you find it at all strange that I happened upon you the moment you arrived here? In the middle of the Ezera Forest, of all places?”
Alex blinked at the unfamiliar name. “The what forest?”
Aven cocked his head slightly. “You’ve never heard of the Ezera?” At her quick negative shake, he asked, “Then tell me, Alexandra, how is it you know of Akarnae?”
“Akarnae?” Alex repeated, mimicking his pronunciation. Ah-kar-nay. How strange. “Never heard of it, sorry.”
“Then to which academy do you seek directions?”
She frowned. “The International Exchange Academy, of course.” Duh.
“I’m afraid the only educational institution nearby is Akarnae Academy,” Aven said. “Are you sure you haven’t heard of it?”
“Positive,” Alex said. “But are you sure that’s what it’s called? Because, despite my crazy flying experience, I can’t be that far from the building I was thrown out of. The International Exchange Academy must be around here somewhere.”
“Oh, Alexandra, you have no idea how pleased I am to have found you,” Aven said, his eyes alight.