“You’re right,” I concede.
She grins, seemingly satisfied with my response to her rare flex of parenting skills. She gives my arm a little squeeze, then pulls her hand back, hauling the top of my suitcase over to close it.
“Gideon’s driver is waiting for you downstairs,” she provides as she starts working the zipper closed, the sound of the metal teeth sliding together raising the hairs on my arms.
“What?” I snap, my stomach bottoming out. “You meanyou’renot taking me?”
“We have to get to the airport, hon. It’s the opposite direction. Ivan will take good care of you, get you where you need to go…”
I scrub my hands over my face, throwing my head back and dragging a deep breath into my lungs.
I feel like I’m suffocating.
I want to scream.
I want to demand that she tell me the truth of what’s going on, to take me with her…
Instead, I swallow my emotion, practically choking on it as I school my expression.
“It’s fine,” I grit out, grabbing for the handle of the suitcase and dragging it off the bed. I push it toward the two others that are already packed, lining the three of them up in a neat row on the floor. “Will you at least call me when you land?”
“As soon as I can,” she reassures, her perfectly sculpted brows drawing together as she stares at me in contemplation. “Ava… I know this is unexpected, but try to make the best of it. Think of it as a new start. A new adventure.”
“A new adventure,” I agree with a nod.
Mom smiles back at me encouragingly, her features softening. She’s so beautiful when she smiles. Even though she recently turned forty, the woman is still stunning. From her bright blue eyes to her high cheekbones, delicate nose, and full, pouty lips, age hasn’t tainted her natural beauty in the slightest. The radiant smile she beams at me brings out one of my own, though I know mine doesn’t quite meet my eyes.
“I love you, Ava,” she breathes, taking my hand in hers. “As big as the sky.”
I wrap my arms around her again, overwhelmed by the rush of emotions that her words bring forth. We’ve been saying that phrase to one another for as long as I can remember– starting back when I was a little kid in Chicago, starved for just one more crumb of my mother’s attention before she jetted back to New York.
“Love you as big as the sky,” I repeat.
I squeeze her tight, memorizing her scent and the warmth of her embrace. Because even though she says this is onlytemporary, I can’t shake the deep, foreboding feeling that once we leave this room, everything is about to change.
CHAPTER 2
AVA
The driveto Corvus College isn’t a quick one. I doze off at some point, and when I wake up, the afternoon sun is high in the sky as we travel a winding road through upstate New York, the towering trees casting imposing shadows over our path.
I’d heard this place was secluded, but as I watch the world go by from my window, the true remoteness of it sinks in. We’re seemingly in the middle of nowhere– I haven’t seen a town or another person or even another car for miles. The change of scenery is jarring after spending my entire life surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city.
I suppose most would find the quiet serenity of this place peaceful, but I find it unnerving.
“We’re here, Miss,” Ivan says as he turns off the main road, his eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror for the briefest moment. Gideon’s driver is a man of very few words; I can count on my hands how many we’ve exchanged this entire trip. His gaze returns to the windshield as he pulls up to a tall iron gate, slowing to a stop.
I shift my weight, sitting up a little straighter as I take in my surroundings. A huge stone wall cuts through the forest on either side of the gate, spanning as far as the eye can see.The gate itself is a towering black monstrosity of twisted metal with insignia in the center– CC, for Corvus College, and a crow perched atop a skull.
Not ominous at all.
There’s a small guard house beside the gate, two men dressed in black hovering in the doorway, watching intently as we pull up. My breathing stalls when I clock the guns strapped to their waists. This place is supposed to be a college, but the entrance makes it feel more like a fortress.
Ivan rolls down his window and one of the guards approaches, leaning down to peer inside the car. His assessing gaze slides to me in the back seat, lingering for a beat before returning to Ivan. “Name?”
“Ava Morrow,” Ivan provides.
The guard jerks a nod. “We’ve been expecting you. Drop her off at the main building, then go east and follow the signs to Sutton Hall. Security will meet you there to take her luggage into the dormitory.”
