Chapter 3 THE JOURNEY

The morning air was cool and fresh, Ivy could smell the damp grass as she stood outside.

Everyone at the orphanage was outside, a rare sight. Ivy knew better than to believe it was for her. Most likely, Mrs. Harrington had threatened them into coming out. After all, many of them wished they were the ones in her place.

Mrs. Harrington and Mr. Doyle stood at the front, wearing expressions that seemed warm, something that unsettled Ivy. She had seen anger, disgust, and pity on their faces before, but never warmth.

Mrs. Harrington clasped her hands together and said in a sweet voice. "Now, Ivy, be careful at Bloodmoon Academy. Stay out of trouble and focus on your studies." She pulled Ivy into a hug, the hug didn't last long but it made Ivy shudder. she was certain the woman felt just as disgusted as she did.

Mr. Doyle gave her a stiff smile. "Make us proud. We believe in you."

Ivy fought the urge to roll her eyes. At least he hadn't hugged her. If it weren't for the sleek black car and the driver watching from a distance, none of them would've bothered to put on a show. They wanted to paint the orphanage as a place of warmth when it was anything but warm.

Still, Ivy nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll do my best."

Aurora pulled her into a hug and whispered, "Hypocrites."

Ivy gave her a small smile and patted her back. "I'll be okay," she whispered.

Leo came over next, smiling in his usual lopsided way. "Guess this is it, huh?" "Guess this is it, huh?"

Her chest tightened. Unlike the adults, Leo and Aurora were real. They were her best friends, her family. She didn't know how she was going to live without them.

She hugged Leo tightly. He chuckled and ruffled her hair.

She groaned. "How many times have I told you to stop ruffling my hair?"

"Annoying you is my favorite thing to do," he said, grinning.

The driver cleared his throat. "Miss Sinclair, it's time to go."

Ivy pulled away. Without looking back, she stepped into the car that was already open for her. Once seated, the driver got in and started the engine. As the orphanage faded behind her, the tears finally came.

Leo had been right... she was a crybaby. But how could she not cry? It was her first time leaving the orphanage gates, her first time attending a real school, and the first time she would be without Leo and Aurora's protection.

The ride was long and silent. The city lights gradually faded behind them, replaced by trees, hills and winding hills.

Ivy placed her forehead on the window watching the same trees pass again and again.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. At some point, she wanted to ask the driver if they were lost, but she decided against it.

He didn't look like a chatty person.

So she just kept staring out the window, trying to keep herself awake, but the monotonous scenery didn't help.

Finally, the trees opened up, and a tall iron gate came into view. Words carved into stone above the gate read: Bloodmoon Academy.

Ivy sat up straighter.

When the school appeared, she gasped.

It was huge. Tall towers reached for the sky, built from dark stone. The building looked old but strong. It reminded her of the haunted castles in the books Aurora used to steal from the library.

She didn't see any students, maybe they were all in class.

The stopped the car and opened the door, Ivy stepped out, gripping her backpack tightly while he retrieved her things from the trunk. In truth, she didn't have much, just her backpack and a faded box Mrs. Harrington had dragged out from some dusty corner.

He led her to a table where other students were checking in. The staff looked strict, dressed in sharp uniforms. Ivy handed her letter to a woman with tight blonde hair and thin glasses.

"Ivy Sinclair," the woman read, then gave her a long look. Before Ivy could ask if something was wrong, the woman looked back down.

"You're in North Wing, Dorm 317. Here's your key and a map. Orientation for new students is tomorrow, 8 a.m. in the courtyard." She handed Ivy a small envelope and a folded map of the academy.

"That's it?" Ivy asked, surprised. She'd expected more from a fancy school.

The woman gave her a pointed look. "Do you need anything else?"

"No, ma'am," Ivy replied quickly.

"Then welcome to Bloodmoon Academy."

Ivy gave a small smile and a polite bow before dragging her half-empty box away, following the map to find her dorm. Navigating the campus turned out to be harder than she expected. Reading maps had never been part of her life at the orphanage. The lines and symbols were confusing, and she got lost multiple times. A kind student on their way to class eventually told her to find the grand hallway, once she found it, it meant that she was close to the dorms.

In the hallway, she saw a few other students clutching maps, just as lost as she was. After more circling and second-guessing, Ivy finally reached the North Wing and found Dorm 317. She unlocked the door and stepped inside.

The room was just as elegant as she'd hoped. Two beds, each with a white duvet. Two desks. A large window overlooking a part of the school she hadn't seen yet. The other bed was untouched, no roommate yet.

She dropped her box in the closet and let out a squeal as she jumped onto the bed. It was real. She had a bed, her own bed!. The only time she'd slept on one was when she was sick and sent to the infirmary.

She rolled around on it, hugging the duvet. Then, pulling out the phone Leo had given her, she took a picture of herself lying on the bed and sent it to him.

That morning, Leo had come into her room to teach her how to use the phone. He'd already saved his number into it. When she asked how he got another phone, he just flicked her forehead and told her not to ask too many questions.

Remembering the flick, she rubbed her forehead with a pout.

Leo replied almost immediately, like he had been waiting.

"You look pretty."

Ivy rolled her eyes and texted back: "I wasn't showing you my picture, dumbass. Look carefully, what do you see?"

"Your eyes are red? Oh my goodness, did you cry again?"

"That's not it!" she replied quickly.

"Umm... you're wearing the hairpin a.k.a. dagger Rora made for you?"

She touched the hairpin and smiled, then decided to help him out before he guessed wrong again.

"I have a bed, dummy. How do you study medicine with that brain of yours?"

"Oh my goodness!! Finally, I'm really happy for you. It looks comfy,I really want to lie on it too."

She smiled at the screen.

They kept chatting for a while, and slowly, the nervousness that had followed her since arrival began to fade.