Hiraeth

Chapter 2

Samara Shaw.

The day I got to Thorne Academy was my first taste of freedom.

The drive there took long hours. We lost every trace of civilization during the first hour. No houses, no factories, no restaurants, nothing. The only thing I saw was the road before me and the bushes that surrounded it. I didn't see a single being on our way there and at a point, it almost felt like it was a kidnap but even if it was, there was nothing I could do about it. The best escape I could think of was to open the door and jump out and that too was impossible. Two men sat at both sides of me and two other at the front. There were also two escort vehicles in front and behind me. Therefore, I couldn't even think of extending my arm to the lock.

I sat there in silence, multiple thoughts running through my head. I had no idea where I was going or what my fate would be. If I was murdered right there in that vehicle, no one would find my body and even if a miracle happened and I was found, the news would be covered up before it got to the public. My parents would to anything to keep their reputation. That was the reason I even got to where I was at the first place. They didn't want a single being tarnishing what they spent their entire lives working on and it wouldn't mean a thing cause that being happened to be a mere bastard. I knew my future in the mansion would not be good, not with all the rebellious acts I had pulled on them so my only choice was to leave but not with at least twelve men around me.

About five hours after, when we were right in front of it, I finally saw it. It looked like a whole city guarded by high fence and tall spikes at the tip. The bricks were deep red with vegetation growing to the very top. They were so thick, it was almost impossible to spot it from afar. The gates were also covered but when the car was just a few feet away from the entrance, I saw the engravings on the gate.Thorne written in block letters.

At first, I thought it I was in a crazy mental asylum. I had never been to one before, neither did I know how they looked like but I heard they were usually old and abandoned. Where I was fit the exact picture of what I thought one would look like. Mother always said they were fed once a day and was forced to eat greasy slimy beef every day. She also said they were always kept in straightjackets and some in chains like beasts. For a reason I didn't know, she knew quite a lot about mental asylums and always spoke about how I would end up there if I went too extreme. Her voice would be filled with pain and eyes in terror whenever she spoke about it. It looked like she was scared of the place and the fact she was keeping the reason a secret was too obvious to ignore.The same way she kept my illegitimacy from me, she would also hide that.

Could all of my previous acts make my parents think I was insane?

However, I wasn't so scared when I went through the entrance like I was during the ride. I guess I was scared of what my fate would be and when I found out it was a mental asylum, I wasn't so bothered. I was born a vegetarian and lived like that all my life but eating greasy beef all day was far better than bitter vegetables and fruits. Living in a straightjacket could be uncomfortable but what made it better than the mansion? I also felt imprisoned there, I was never allowed to leave or make friends with anyone. Maybe I would get the opportunity to make a few friends, even if they were insane.

I had thought of a million assumptions while the vehicle moved through the gates before I finally saw what it was. It wasn't an asylum or any of what I thought it would be. It was even better, it was an academy. My mother thought I would learn my lesson in a school. It was the most ridiculous idea I had ever heard in my life. Mother couldn't be more foolish to have brought me to where I always wanted o be.

Growing up, I was only let out of the house to attend special events with my family so Father had private teachers come tutor both my brother and I. He had his classes in his study room and I had my classes in mine. Jonathan was lucky enough to go along with Father to work after he turned sixteen while I was denied access. Mother always said only men were allowed to do so and the world out there was too dangerous for my innocent mind. Well, there I was, exposed to the dangerous world without my parents to protect me.