(Author's Note: I'll start making the chapters shorter, because, well, quality over quantity. Also, the updates won't be this often. Sorry for the inconvenience-)
Jovie's eyes shot open, gasping for air. She took a step, entering the great hall. The surge of cold air was still there, surrounding her, suffocating her. She looked up–on the ceiling hung a chandelier glowing purple. The checkered marble floors were clean, without blood. It looked empty–no, hollow. A statue of an angel stood guard in front of the door, its pupil-less eyes gazing at the halls. A gold plaque sat beneath the statue, with the words "Gnōthi Sauton" (Know thyself!) engraved on it with big, bold letters.
"Weird." winced Jovie as she walked on.
In contrast to the blood spilled, this was a serene sight in comparison, but also a lonely one. "Hello? Anyone?" she cried out.
"Order in the Hall!" yelled a voice that pierced the silence. All of a sudden, people appeared. Big and small, thin and fat. But they all had that glint in their eyes that symbolized that this was definitely not a good place to be in.
"Stop messing with her, being invisible is not a privilege!"
A red-haired girl stood before her in a blue uniform that reminded her of her own school uniform. Her mossy green eyes cut deep into hers as her delicate hands wrung around the corners of the doorknob. Jovie had least expected the girl to look like some Disney princess.
"Welcome to Metanoia Center." The girl looked down, softening her tone to as if she was talking to a baby. Gosh, I'm short.
Jovie looked around at the people who came out to the halls, each of them displaying the same bleak and hollow expressions on their faces. She gulped down her fear before looking up at the girl in the blue uniform, attempting to find some shred of comfort or sense in this nightmarish place. "H-hello, um..." she trailed off, her mind cleaned of any self-introductory phrases. Not even a hello.
"Oh, hey," the girl said. "Guess I forgot to properly introduce myself...where are my manners? What's your name?"
Jovie recoiled. She didn't like her attitude much more than Ezra. "Jovie." she squeaked. The girl nodded. "Jovanna Everhart, I see." I'm Isis–one of the prefects here."
Jovie stayed silent. Okay, now this girl really reminded her of her own schoolmates.
Isis The Prefect leaned against the wall and looked down at her. "I assume you're new?"
"Yeah..." she muttered, looking down at the checkered black-and-white floor. "New. To here." All of a sudden, her grammar went poof.
"Ah. So let me just try and guide you around for a bit, huh?" she said swiftly, like she had done this over a thousand times. She probably had. A prefect's work was always hard.
"The documents have already been filled out for you. Mr Garcia can be a bit vague when mentioning details–" she muttered, seemingly to herself.
"You know Mr. Garcia?"
"Business partners."
Jovie blinked.
"Anyways, welcome to Metanoia! The place we're currently standing in is the Hall of The Marks." Isis sprang to her feet.
"What?"
"I know. Weird name." Jovie shrank back. "So I'll guide you along the way. You've been assigned to Room 890–remember the number–and here are the keys."
Jovie hesitantly took the keys, which jangled and dangled in Isis's hand as if she was toying with a cat. Admiring its meticulous design, she flipped the keys. For a second, the light gleamed in the keys. Red lights. It was the same crimson red she'd seen in the windows.
YOU ARE READING
Metanoia
FantasyOnce upon a time, there was a little girl named Jovie Everhart with the power to change the weather...whose sister was murdered. By lightning, they had presumed, for not a bruise was on Tally. But Jovie knew SHE murdered her. That was why everyone...
