The War of Six Crowns: The Vanished Knight

Arriving at Grayston Academy

Callan sucked some air in through her nose. The scent of leather brought her some calm, reminding her of happy times in the saddle.

If she got her entrance right, she might leave before people noticed she'd been there. She'd polished her routine to a shine. Her disguise was flawless. Everything about her was designed to make her fade away. From her permed and colored hair to the oversize uniform she wore. Now she only needed to play the system.

Callan sized James up from beneath her hair. Unlike her mess of mousy, dry curls, his sandy waves had been perfectly kissed by the sun. He had beautifully tanned skin. His hazel eyes could have been lovely if they didn't mock everything they saw.

He wore his hair in a longish style. Clearly he kept far away from gel. Great hair didn't require any product. Still, he appeared to use wax or something to keep the tousled look just right. So he was concerned with his appearance. That made him the Egotistic Alpha Male. Yep, he'd ignore her as soon as he could. She'd let him do exactly that.

Callan shifted her attention to Ward. Here was a problem. Like James, his dark hair was kept-just so, if a bit shorter. But his dark brown eyes set him apart from his friend. They were too gentle. His smile too kind when he caught her staring.

She yanked her gaze away from his, but the damage was done. Ward moved to the seat next to hers and touched her shoulder. She winced, her hopes for peace teetering at the edge of a long fall.

"Sorry." He sounded so friendly Callan had to prevent herself from returning his warm smile. "Just want to show you when the school comes into view."

The car topped a rise, revealing the gray stone manor nestled between Cumbrian hills and a large lake behind it. Callan sighed. How could she be uprooted painlessly when the mere sight of the school's many glinting windows and smoking chimneys had her in love with it? The building's symmetry and decorations hinted at its great age. Maybe Elizabethan?

"So beautiful," she murmured.

"Yes. Grayston was built in Henry VIII's time and was inhabited and extended for about two hundred years before someone decided to change it into a school," Ward said.

Astonished, Callan turned to him with a frown. He'd never spoken this much before, let alone to her.

His smile faltered, but he plunged on. "It's home to students from every year of schooling and caters to our every need. Each year, roommates are chosen through a blind draw—"

Callan turned back to the window and stared at the elegant mansion. Maybe she should have cut him off, but she needed the information pouring from his lips.

"We rush around trying to swap out rooms before the deadline. You missed yours, so you'll have to stay with whoever you get thrown in with."

Great. More ifs to cope with.

Ward went quiet. Callan caught him and James throwing some sort of angry sign language at each other. James met her eyes and stopped. Muscles worked in his jaw. Ward folded his arms and inspected the ceiling.

How did he put up with James? He had to be a saint to stay James's friend.

Callan frowned at the beautiful school building. She used to dream about living in a place like this...

Tall oak trees lined the entry into the school yard, dappling the road with shadows. The limo's wheels crunched on gravel, slowing down to a stop by the entrance steps. Callan admired Grayston's grandeur. Its lichen-covered walls rose four stories high and stretched out symmetrically from the front door; it dwarfed the other buildings sharing its grounds. Even those were larger than most of the homes she'd ever been placed in.

Many ancient trees grew on the front lawn. Their multicolored leaves fluttered down onto people lazing in their shade.

Callan's breathing stalled.

Hundreds of students and faculty members lounged about outside, but there weren't enough people her age to hide her arrival. She'd be ogled like some animal in a cage. Her heart thumped and she analyzed the staircase to the entrance. She counted twenty steps. Callan squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stay calm.

By some miracle, no one paid attention to the car, so she was safe for now. The students would have to go inside at some point. She reached for her discarded blazer and pulled it on. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons.

Ward and James got out of the limo and strutted up the stairs to greet some of their friends. It looked so easy for them. They joked loudly and laughed even louder. They mingled with groups of strangers without a care in the world. Already the girls their age sauntered to the cluster on the steps. The laughter, kisses to cheeks, and flirtations continued.

"Come on, people...move," Callan whispered and jiggled her knee.

A platinum-haired beauty with a blunt chin-length bob slithered up to James and Ward and attached to them. She slipped her arms around their waists, laughing with them. On...and on...and on.

After fifteen minutes, no one budged.

The chauffeur cleared his throat. "Anything else, miss?"

Yes. Get me out of here! Uniformed servants lugged her traveling chests into the building. Callan could only watch. She sighed. Time had run out. 

Just want to say thanks to everyone who've been reading and voting lately! Keep the the reads and votes coming. ;-)

And let me know what you think of the new school!