Page 15 of Wicked Dove (Institute Thirteen #1)

ELEVEN

ELODIE

Iblink at myself in the mirror, unsure where to focus my eyes first.

“I think I hate it, Ocean,” I blurt, and she giggles from beside me, flipping her cute blonde braid back over her shoulder.

“You only think? Honey, if you don't downright hate it, then this place hasn’t got to you yet.”

“I don't want any more of it,” I insist as she pats my shoulder in sympathy.

“Suck it up. There are too many vultures out there. They’ll be able to sniff out your vulnerabilities and weaknesses in a flash. Then they’ll snack on them for their own amusement.”

I gulp at the truth in her words as I stare at my reflection.

Starting at my feet, I take stock of myself.

Black, polished shoes, charcoal-gray socks that stop at my knees, a black pleated skirt, a white, silk shirt tucked in, and a black blazer with aubergine-purple stitching make up my outfit for the day.

I’m not sure if it beats the white top and shorts I’ve been living in, but either way, I don’t like it.

Not even the emblem of what I believe is Institute Thirteen, which is stitched onto the breast pocket with that same purple thread.

My gaze dips to my legs as I turn, looking over my shoulder to check my cut from yesterday. It’s cleaned up better than I thought it would, but the thick red mark is unmistakable. Hopefully, no one cares what happened to me. Ocean didn’t even ask. It’s like she already knew.

Turning my attention from my reflection to my roommate’s, I gape in disbelief. How are we dressed exactly the same, yet she manages to make it look way freaking cuter. My purple hair clashes with the aubergine, the socks make me look paler, and the skirt sits way too short up my thighs.

Not that I get a say in any of it; it was all here waiting for me yesterday after Rion marched me back.

Running a hand through my hair, I try to tame the frizzy curls around my face as Ocean touches up her makeup.

I also returned to find a supply of cosmetics, but I don’t even know where to begin.

Making myself look pretty has never really been an option, and even if it was, it was always the cheapest products off the shelves that always made me look orange.

I’m not making that mistake here. I'm sure there will be enough people judging me today as it is. I don’t want to add the state of my face to the list, too.

My stomach growls, interrupting my train of thought and serving as a reminder that I still haven’t eaten since I arrived.

“Hungry?” Ocean asks, and I nod.

She shakes her head. “That's what you get for trying to make a run for it.” She glances at her watch, then points over her shoulder. “Let's head out now so you can eat.”

I nod, but the churning in my stomach twists into something else. “I don't know if The Vale is going to be for me,” I admit, and she frowns.

“Why not?”

I barely know my roommate, but one thing I’ve learned already is how curious she is. And that she’s a little blunt, but mostly happy enough to give me my space. It’s only been one night, but it was almost… nice.

With a shrug, I admit the truth. “Vultures, remember?”

“They'll only bite if you let them,” she insists, and I snicker, no humor to the jagged sound. Vultures are the whole reason I’m here, and it seems they’re set on tearing my life apart in every form. They may not be a motorcycle club, but they’re destructive all the same.

“Sometimes people take a bite without giving you a choice.”

She cocks a brow at me. “Are you sure you're new here? Because that's a great description of the Institutes,” she states, heading toward the closet door.

She hovers at the entryway for a moment, giving me a second. A deep breath does little to calm my racing heart, but it doesn’t help that I’m standing in a walk-in closet that’s bigger than my entire trailer back home.

Stepping back into our room, I cast my gaze over my side. It feels odd to look at the bed that I slept in last night, the sheets slightly crumpled despite me remaking them, but still not a touch of personality on the dreary side that’s mine.

The Institute's ten rules sit on my pillow on a piece of paper I’ve run my hands over again and again as I try to commit them to memory, but I think one more glance over them is needed for good measure.

Rule one: No tardiness.

Rule two: Beds must be made and rooms must be tidy at all times.

Rule three: Always be presentable.

Rule four: Take pride in your institute.

Rule five: Respect everyone in The Vale.

Rule six: Know your place in the hierarchy of the institutes.

Rule seven: Do not use your magical abilities on another student or staff, whether intended for harm or otherwise.

Rule eight: Strive to excel.

Rule nine: Do not steal.

Rule ten: Do not enter Institutes you are not assigned to.

I gulp at the last one. I've already committed that crime. I'd say I won't do it again, but if it means a chance of getting out of here, I'm not promising anything.

Regardless, I’ve got to suck it up, wear this gimmicky uniform, and get on with it.

Unless I want more trouble at my door. I went to sleep last night thinking about my game plan, which is to fly under the radar as much as possible.

I don't need to be causing a scene that'll add more eyes to my every move.

If I keep my head down and appear to be adjusting, then I'll have a better chance of breaking free.

“I’m ready,” I announce, and Ocean smiles, reaching for the door.

She opens it, taking a step back to wave me through, and I roll my eyes at her as the sound of another latch unlocking comes from across the hall. I startle when a guy I’ve never seen before fills the doorway.

Loose, jet-black curls fall across his face, down over his ears, and somehow accentuate his rich, black eyes. He is a couple of feet taller than me, all majestic and mysterious, with his olive skin enhancing the beauty that haunts him.

His stare, though, leaves me breathless. It’s as if he's peering into my soul while I remain frozen in place.

“What's going—oh.” Ocean's voice cuts off as she peers over my shoulder, seeing the guy who has captured my attention. “Leave her alone, Thorne,” Ocean grumbles, and I shake my head.

“He didn't do anything,” I insist, daring to look away from him for a second as I peer at my friend, but my voice comes out raspy and shallow.

To my surprise, she ignores me as she continues to stare down the man across the hall.

It’s a challenge between them, one I don’t know all the details of, but after a second, he looks away.

In that exact moment, I exhale heavily, my breaths coming back in full swing as I gape in confusion at the guy she called Thorne.

Weariness clings to me as I glance at my roommate again, but she's too busy wagging a finger at the guy. He doesn’t utter a word as he stalks back inside, slamming the door behind him, leaving the two of us to stand in the silence that expands in the hallway.

“Ass,” she mutters under her breath before linking her arm through mine and tugging me toward the stairs. We’ve already taken two steps when the sound of our bedroom door slamming shut rings around us.

My jaw falls slack with panic at first, but as I turn to Ocean, I see the amusement in her eyes before she winks and wiggles her fingers.

Did she just do that with her magic? Surely not.

I don’t dare ask. I’m too speechless over the whole interaction with Thorne to be able to piece a question together.

Even as we make it outside, I’m still caught up on him, and with a swift check over my shoulder to make sure no one is following us, I clear my throat. “So, is he friends with Kael and Rion?”

Ocean scoffs. “I don't know if any of them are friends. Not really,” she admits, and I frown.

“What does that mean?”

She shrugs as we start to take the slight incline toward The Vale. It’s crazy how you can’t see what lies on the other side of the slight peak, yet once at the top, you can see everything for what seems like miles.

I appreciate the sun ghosting over my skin like a gentle embrace as she unlinks our arms and sighs again.

“The reality of the supernatural world, Elodie, is that good attracts good and bad attracts bad.

They're the latter, through and through, and it's not the fake it till you make it with red dye type of bad. It's the real kind.”

I gulp at her warning. “Are they all vampires?” I ask, and she shakes her head.

“No, just Kael. Rion is a wolf, and Thorne is a shadow fae, the last shadow fae.”

My eyebrows rise in surprise, even though none of it makes sense. “I don't know what a shadow fae is,” I admit, and she offers me a tight smile.

“You're better off keeping it that way.”

If I wasn’t already worried about someone stalking me, I definitely am now after Rion found me in Institute Twelve yesterday.

I imagine if I had stayed with Ocean, I would never have known he was there.

I would also be familiar with my surroundings right now, but instead, I’m slightly overwhelmed, and we’ve barely seen anything The Vale has to offer.

The dining hall is dead center of the town, and everything else is closed right now, including access to the academic building, which doesn’t open for another twenty-five minutes. I need to eat as fast as I can so I can explore whatever awaits me next.

“Are you ready?” Ocean asks, waving her hand at the building before us. It appears to be made entirely of white frosted glass, featuring a thick, red line that runs around the middle of the walls, matching the door frames of the entryway.

I offer her a tight smile. She must sense my nerves, but I hum in agreement as my stomach grumbles, confirming how desperate I am to get in there. “I'm starving,” I mutter, embarrassed by the sound, and she shakes her head.