An hour later, as I look at myself in the mirror, I barely recognize the girl with bright blue eyes and dyed black hair staring back at me. It’s amazing that with one little box that costs less than ten bucks, I can transform into a different person, a person who will be recognized by fewer than a handful of people as once being a blonde.
I don’t know who confronted me the night my father was killed. I only know he’s a part of Venom, and I can’t risk being recognized tomorrow when I step onto Monarch’s campus, otherwise known as Venom’s den.
Murder isn’t exactly on my list, but hell, who knows what I’ll be capable of when I come face to face with the snake responsible for killing my father. There are only three things I know for certain: his death wasn’t an accident, Venom was behind it, and they will pay for what they’ve taken from me, one way or another.
2
KINSLEY
As I look downat my outfit, I want to vomit all over my Dr. Martens. No one informed Monarch University that uniforms in college haven’t been a thing in decades. I feel like I’m wearing a costume in the green and black uniform. The black tie sporting Monarch’s green viper mascot wraps around my neck like a noose. I consider tying the black blazer around my waist to hide the hideous plaid skirt, then dismiss the idea. Instead, I hike up the skirt so I won’t be confused for the librarian.
My phone dings with a text from Luca:
Good luck today!
Thanks, I’m going to need it
I type back and follow the scent of fresh-brewed coffee into the kitchen. Uncle Trey sits at the high top.
“Good morning,” I mutter. I toss my backpack on the chair. From the fridge, I grab the orange juice.
His steaming mug of coffee is halfway to his lips when he pauses mid-air. “Hey, you— Whoa!” He slowly sets his mug onthe counter. “When you said good night last night, youdidhave blonde hair, right?”
“Yeah, you’re not going crazy,” I tease.
“Good to know.” He wipes his brow. “Don’t get me wrong, I like the black and all, but what happened to the blonde girl I’ve known since the day she came into this world?”
I comb my fingers through my hair, still in awe of the long, dark waves around my shoulders. “I just wanted a change,” I say, offering a quick shrug.
“It’s a change all right and a bit of a shock.” He smiles. “One I’ll have to get used to.”
“Yeah, you and me both,” I mumble as I fill a glass with orange juice. “I’m going to get going.”
“Don’t you want something to eat before your big day?”
The toast smeared with avocado on his plate looks delicious, but I don’t have the stomach for it. On any other day, I’d have sat down and eaten. Today, my nerves have climbed to new heights. I’m not nervous. It’s more of an anxious, get-this-over-with feeling.
“Nah, I’m not hungry. I’ll grab something at school. From what I read on their site, I’ll be eating like a queen.”
He must hear my sarcasm because he says, “Monarch is a great school. Give it a chance.”
Monarch is a legacy school. Students attend because it’s their birthright to shadow their parents, and most of them don’t have a choice. They begin their education at Monarch Preparatory, then flow into the university. Rarely does anyone apply or transfer to Monarch University. The moral of the story is that everyone knows everyone, and the hierarchy and cliques usually don’t change. It doesn’t help that I’m starting the semester two weeks later than everyone else.
Monarch accepted me because my mom agreed to pay double the yearly tuition. The cost could probably buy a modest-sizedhome. She doesn’t know my true reasons for wanting to go to Monarch. And she didn’t care, so long as it made me happy. Since my dad died, there’s nothing she wouldn’t do to see even a sliver of a smile on my face.
The school is known to be overflowing with assholes who think they’re entitled to anyone and everything because of Daddy’s money. Yeah, not my scene. Besides, I won’t be here long enough to give it a chance. Monarch serves one purpose: my gateway to Venom. And since they’re the elite who overshadow everyone and everything on campus, they shouldn’t be too hard to find. Then I’ll zero in on which one delivered the fatal blow that set my life on a new course.
Uncle Trey slides off the stool to stand. “I’ll be at the dojo when you get out of school. If you want to come by, we can get some kicks in. Maybe do a little weapons training.”
My head isn’t anywhere close to making plans for after school. I have three goals today—navigate my way around campus, find my dad’s killer, and try to stay invisible.
I grab an apple from the fruit basket on the counter and toss it into my backpack. “Yeah, sounds good.”
“All right, have a good day, and kick some ass.”
“Thanks, sensei. You too.”
Uncle Trey laughs as he closes the door behind me.
