As the heavy wooden doors of Saint Angel’s Catholic School swung shut behind her, the weight of her parents’ decision pressed down on her shoulders. It wasn’t discipline she needed, no matter what they claimed, but here she was, thrust into the cold, ordered world of the school.

The stone halls echoed with an oppressive silence, and the air was thick with an ancient solemnity that made her feel small. It didn’t take long before she was intercepted.

A girl, poised as if she owned the place, glided toward her. She was flawless—porcelain skin that seemed untouched by sunlight, vivid emerald eyes that gleamed with sharp intelligence, and raven hair pulled back into a perfect ponytail, not a strand out of place. Her uniform, starched and spotless, was worn like a badge of superiority.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” she said at your direction, her voice honeyed with false sweetness and undercut with a cold, smug amusement.