Then he is just gone, and my room feels emptier than ever, and I finally let my shaky legs sink me onto the floor. One thing is for sure, my heart is not safe in this academy. Neither are my secrets.
Chapter 7
“Kat, did you get a breakfast tray too?” Ves shouts through the bathroom door as I finish brushing my hair. I like that we have nicknames for each other when we literally only just met. I guess dying and becoming an angel has a way of bonding people. “Only I hate eating on my own and, well, can I eat with you?” I glance at my skinny jeans, purple tee with “I bite” written on it, and my favourite black Doc Martens that have purple laces in the full mirror by the bathroom door.
“Morning! Come in!” I shout back, and she opens the door as I sit on the edge of my extremely comfy bed. Ves comes and sits by me as I tug my own tray onto my lap and take off the blue lid, revealing two slices of toast, a little cornflake box in a bowl, a bottle of water and a carton of milk.
“Did you sleep well?” Ves asks after she eats her toast. I finish mine off and open the bottle of water, taking a deep gulp before answering her.
“Like an angel,” I wink at her, and she laughs, bumping my shoulder. Which is a giant lie. After Ren disappeared, I spent all night thinking about him, worrying about him coming back, and wondering how many ghosts might be lurking around the academy, waiting to scare me. What if they have troll ghosts here? Or freaking dragons? I don’t even know if those creatures are real, but I don’t want to see their ghosts any time soon.
“It’s seriously messed up to think we are actually dead,” Ves mumbles.
“How did you die?” I ask, curious about her life. “I mean, if you don’t mind telling me. You don’t have to, though.”
“It’s okay,” she replies, clearing her throat. “I lived in France, though my family is from Wales, and we moved to France for my dad’s job when I was twelve. Hence the weird accent.”
“Your accent is nice, though I was curious where it was from,” I reply. “Oh wait, can you speak French? That would be cool.”
“Nope, I’m terrible at French. I was home-schooled and always the outcast,” she admits, biting on her lip. “Anyways, I was bike riding with my dad, something we always did, and it got late. We were heading back when I rode too close to the edge of a cliff. The cliff gave way, and the last thing I remember is my dad screaming my name.”
“I’m so sorry, Ves,” I say, placing my hand on her arm. “I crashed a car with Riley inside it. We died together, and I don’t remember much either.”
“I’m sorry too. Where are you from?” she asks, clearly wanting to change the subject a little.
“Lake District. My mum is an artist and met my dad when he bought my mum’s painting of a house on the lake. That house was my dad’s holiday home, and the rest is history,” I explain, and she smiles at me. We both jump as someone bangs our door before shouting through it.
“Time to get up, newbie. Outside in five!”
“Let’s hurry and eat,” I say, and Ves agrees as she digs into her food. Four minutes later, we walk out of my room and head up the stairs where six other students are waiting. Each of them looks a little less dazed than yesterday and in their own clothes.
“Katy!” Riley shouts my name, and I turn to see him head up the stairs in his usual jeans and a white T-shirt. “You look great.” He tugs me into his arms, hugging me a little too tightly and not exactly what I’m used to. We hug sometimes, but then again, we have been going through a lot these last twenty-four hours. Riley finally lets me go, though he keeps his arm around my higher waist.
“Riley, remember Vesnia?” I ask, and he nods at me, not looking at her once. Before I can call Riley out on his rude behaviour, someone claps their hands. We all turn to see Professor Badhur standing on the steps, the white cloak long gone, and this time, he has a blue shirt on and black trousers, looking pretty normal except for the wings and long hair.
“Welcome, new students, to The Angel Academy. Today there will be no lessons because you are to have a tour around the academy and get to know your new home,” he exclaims with a big smile. “Now, there is a map and class schedule for your first year waiting in your room when you return. Until then, I am handing you over to Thallon Cross, who is in charge of the tour. Blessed be the angels, and I will see each of you in my class this week.”
“Hello, new students, my name is Thallon Cross, and welcome to The Angel Academy,” a man speaks behind us, and we all turn around at the same time to see who spoke. The guy standing a few steps up on the stairs is not what I expected to see. Thallon Cross has no wings, which is odd, considering where we are, and his eyes are literally glowing a bright white with tints of blue shining through. He snakes a tanned hand through his thick brown hair that is sun-kissed at the tips, and my eyes trace over his full bow-shaped lips and sexy jawline. He has a slight scar under his chin which makes him seem all the more real. I would guess his age around the twenties, but the way he holds himself tall makes me think he is a little older.
What is he?
“He can cross into my panties any day,” Vesnia whispers to me, and I chuckle.
“I am an angel before any of you ask. No, I won’t tell you why I don’t have wings,” he answers likely everyone’s questions all in one go. “Now follow me and keep up, you don’t want to get lost. When the tour is over, I have a surprise for you all in the kitchens in the form of sweets and hot chocolate.” The group follows quickly after Thallon as we leave the room and head into a long corridor. Thallon explains which lessons are in here, and then we get to the end of the corridor which leads to a big greenhouse.
“This is one of my favourite rooms of the academy. The greenhouse is dead centre of the building, and there are doors to every part of the academy from here. So basically, if you get lost, find the greenhouse and start over,” Thallon explains as we walk past tall plants with big green leaves, and tiny little red flowers in pots that line the paths. Butterflies of all different colours fly over our heads, and birds chirp in the distance. The greenhouse smells of plants and flowers, just like nature.
And I love it.
“Green Thumb over here is in her element,” Riley says, laughing and clicking his fingers in my face to get my attention.
“Do you like gardening then, Kat?” Ves asks me, and I nod.
“My mum and I would spend hours in the garden in our tiny greenhouse. I have a great rose collection going on. Well, had...” I drift off and Riley frowns at me. I don’t even notice the group has stopped, and they are silent until Thallon speaks, somehow right next to me.
“Roses are difficult to cultivate well. I’m impressed, Miss?” he asks, crossing his arms. I look up and meet his gaze, holding his stare as I answer.
“Kaitlyn Lightson, and yes, they are. I lost a few in the beginning, but it’s well worth the effort for the beauty that appears,” I explain. “My mum and I came up with a neat trick, but it’s a secret.”
Thallon seems amused by my response as Riley steps closer to me, his arm returning around my waist. “I am the gardener for the academy, and I would love an assistant with special secrets. Would you be up for the job?”