Page 4 of Sadistic Obsession (Rise of Phoenyxx #1)

P hoenyxx

I step into the unknown, struggling to figure out the stupid map.

My dorm is in the C Building, third floor, room three.

Looking around the grassy grounds, I see that Building B is to the left, and Building D is to the right.

Looks like I’m two buildings over, to the left of the A building, which is the administration building, where I am now.

I take a deep breath as I trudge to a large clearing, full of chatting, laughing students. It's beautiful! There are several benches placed throughout, amongst the garden and trees.

They all seem to be wearing what I assume is the school uniform.

Navy blue slacks, a blazer, white dress shirt, and tie for the boys, and a navy and white pleated skirt, hitting the tops of the knees, a similar navy blazer to the boys, and a white button-down shirt for the girls. Thigh-high socks complete the look.

I make a mental note to ask my “tour guide” where to get a uniform.

I scurry past the gathered students, praying to avoid any notice.

I see Building B directly ahead, so I continue towards it.

It looks exactly like the other buildings on the outside, but there are obvious differences once I reach the courtyard.

The students are more...loose with the uniform.

Girls are showing thigh and cleavage, boys with open shirts and no ties or blazers.

I can see several of them puffing on vapes and even cigarettes.

I sense an air of hostility around the space.

To my horror, the most beautiful girl there meets my eyes.

Her little groupies stand around her in a circle.

Her face falls into a scowl as I try to walk by.

She's got long, blonde, pin-straight hair, with neat, even bangs on her forehead.

Baby blue eyes, full lips, tits to die for.

.. Yep, betting I just found the resident mean. ..

My thought is interrupted by a loud scream. “You!” she shrieks, stalking towards me, fists balled up at her sides. “Who the hell are you?”

“Um...Phoenyxx—” I try to respond.

“Oh...The new girl?” she sneers, cutting me off. “Well listen up, you cheap whore! I RUN this place, and you’d better stay out of my way! And that goes double for The Six!”

I roll my eyes, answering, “Sure, whatever. Now, if you’ll excuse me?” As I walk by, the whole gaggle of bitches turn to glare at me, an unspoken threats in their eyes.

Who the fuck are The Six, anyway? And why was this girl and her groupies in the “lesser” courtyard? They look too snooty to be here. It figures I’d find the Mean Girl and piss her off in the first five minutes!

I huff in annoyance as I trudge down the paved path, darting my gaze around to map out any threats. I am hyper-aware of everything around me; thanks to all the abuse I’ve endured. I am prone to panic attacks, so I have to keep as calm as possible.

I see a small group of boys and girls up ahead, off to the left of the path. No one seems to notice me, so I keep walking.

In the blink of an eye, two of the boys jump in front of me. One is average height, a typical boy-next-door type, with slicked-back blonde hair and blue eyes. The other is pretty tall, with spiked-up dark brown hair and brown eyes. They both look like they may be popular boys.

“Well, what do we have here? A new girl?” the blonde one asks, quirking a brow.

“Mmmm...pretty little thing...” the brunette murmurs, getting in my face.

“Move along,” I grit out through clenched teeth. “I don’t need any trouble.”

“Well maybe we want to play...” the blonde starts, but I lash out with a swift kick to his junk.

“I SAID move along!” I seethe.

“Fuck, man, my dick!” the blonde wheezes, hunched over at the waist, cupping his crotch with both hands.

The brunette puts up his hands, stepping back. “No problem here.” He shrugs.

I glare at them both as I pass them.

I feel a bit strange, adrenaline burning through my limbs. It's almost like a head rush. It must be the anxiety trying to grip me. It feels almost...good, though.

Shaking my head a bit, I see my building in front of me.

Fucking finally! I open the heavy door, seeing a pretty basic-looking hallway, linoleum flooring, and white walls.

A staircase looms ahead, spiraling upwards.

I slowly start to ascend the first two floors, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

At floor three, I open the metal door and peer up and down the hallway.

I blow out a breath as I see that it's empty.

I see room one to the far left, so I take a right to find my room.

At the end of the long hallway, I see room three.

The door is oddly standing open, but I continue inside.

There's a uniform laid out on the neat and clean double bed. The walls are a light grey, and there’s a dresser and a nightstand next to the bed. A small, brown wood desk with a wooden chair holding a puffy cushion is placed in the corner.

I hear a rustling sound, and as I look up, Miss Mean Girl dramatically enters my room.

“I am your tour guide. Follow me, listen to what I say, then fuck off back to the gutter. Got it?” she snipes. “If you fall behind, it’s on you. I will not wait.”

She swings around back towards the door. I quickly grab my backpack and card, hurrying to follow her. I bite my tongue for now, but this bitch is pissing me off! For her sake I hope she shuts off the Miss Priss attitude.

“What’s your name?” I ask. “You never said it,” I mutter, as she glares daggers at me.

“It’s Destiny Harrington. As in Harrington Enterprises.” She huffs and puffs her chest out with that announcement.

“Right. Okay,” I respond. Like I know who or what that is!

“My FATHER is a VERY important man. You would do well to remember that!”

I sigh, inwardly groaning. Speeding up to keep up with her, I’m forced to listen to her blathering commentary as we go.

“THIS is obviously Building C. It is the girls’ dorm. There is one public bathroom at the end of the hall on each floor. You should probably figure out when the best time to shower is, since there are multiple girls.”

She continues. “Floor two is exactly like this one. Floor one, however, is reserved for the best students. It requires a private key card to get into it. I, obviously, live on floor one.” Flipping her hair, she also says, “I have my own bathroom, of course.”

Ugh... Seriously? What does the “best students” even mean? I can tell some of the people here are older than high school age, so what is the deal with this place?

We exit the building and cross the courtyard to Building B. “Take note of the caliber of students you see hanging out in the building courtyards. The first belongs to the best, the second to the rest. A bottom-feeder like you needs to keep to the second,” she quips.

I laugh as I can’t resist firing back. “Well, I saw YOU in the lower caliber courtyard…” I raise a brow in a dramatic fashion.

“THAT is none of your business!” she hisses. “I have special privileges...” She clams up fast as we enter the building.

“This is the boys' dorm,” she begins. I choke back a gasp at the boys milling around. Being in an enclosed space with so many men is triggering my anxiety. I manage to push it back as we walk through the building.

“How were you able to get in here?” I ask, curiosity loosening my tongue.

She heaves a heavy sigh. “Special privileges, remember?” She just continues on prattling.

“The floors here are the same as ours. Best on the first floor, the rest on the second and third.

You will not have access to this building.

It is strictly prohibited for boys to be in the girls' dorms, and vice versa.”

I exhale in relief, knowing I’m safe in the dorms.

“You already are familiar with Building A,” she explains. All of the classrooms and admin offices are there. The classrooms are sectioned off by type. The English wing is in the front of floor A, for example. Read your booklet and memorize the map,” she snaps out.

She motions in the direction of the girls’ dorms. “The cafeteria. All students are required to eat there. Breakfast promptly at 6 a.m., lunch at 12 p.m., and dinner at 5 p.m. No snacks outside of the cafeteria are allowed.”

I groan internally, thinking of how early 6 a.m. is.

Destiny raises her voice to announce, “The front tables are for the best students ONLY. You are not allowed anywhere near them. The rest of the tables are up for grabs.

“OH... And table one is for The Six ONLY. Don't think about even LOOKING at them!” she huffs.

This AGAIN? Who the fuck are these people, anyway? Royal brats or something?

“That’s all the main things. If you have any questions, DON’T ask me. Now, I have somewhere important to be.”

She flips her hair behind her as she power-walks away from me. Since I have no clue what to do now, I quickly make my way back to my dorm.

I let myself inside with my keycard and hustle up to floor three. I scoot inside, shutting the door behind me.

I am so glad I have my own room! I have a feeling this may be one of the very few safe spaces I can breathe in.

I set down my backpack, taking a closer look around the room.

There is a door on the left wall, so I open it.

It's a closet. A very large one at that!

There are several uniforms already hanging there, all in my perfect size.

There are rows of long socks and shoes on the floor.

My pathetic little bag I brought with me sits in the center of the floor.

I'm leaving it for now, it’s too depressing to mess with.

I am so exhausted, my bones ache. I head over to the bed, grabbing the booklet and what looks like a class schedule.

I also pull out the phone I was given. I click the side button, it’s already on and set-up, thankfully.

The front screen is a photo of the front of the school, with The Retreat across the top.

I set it aside, knowing it’s limited to the campus.

I pick up the booklet to leaf through it. I am so not reading this whole thing right now.

My eyes are immediately drawn to the rules at the front. No violence, no drugs or alcohol, no sex, no disrespecting staff or other students. No weapons. No food outside of the cafeteria. No missing classes.

It says there are harsh punishments for breaking any rules. I fully intend to NEVER find out what constitutes punishments around here!

My vision starts to blur as my body loudly demands rest. I glance at the schedule, but figure I’ll deal with it in the morning.

I move over to the dresser, hoping there’s some night clothes in there. The first drawer has bras and basic cotton underwear, all in my size. I hit paydirt in the second drawer. Neatly folded sweatpants, yoga pants, sweatshirts, and T-shirts. All in shades of grey, black, and navy blue.

I grab out a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, dropping my clothes onto the floor in my exhaustion. I slide them on and slip into the bed, which is surprisingly comfortable! I turn to my side and close my eyes. I'm asleep the second my head hits the pillow.